Pakistan NSA briefs Nawaz Sharif, officials in crucial meeting

Islamabad: Pakistan`s National Security Advisor Naseer Khan Janjua on Tuesday briefed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other officials on the status of implementation of the National Action Plan for combating terrorism and the situation along the border with India.

The provincial Chief Ministers and top government officials also attended the meetings, chaired by the Premier.

In the NAP meeting, the participants agreed that collective efforts at the national level were needed to consolidate the gains made so far in the fight against terrorism.

It was agreed that there is a need to further improve the collection, collation, analysis and use of intelligence input to defeat terrorism in the country, Dawn online reported.

Sharif claimed there had been a significant improvement in security in Pakistan. "We are fighting a war on terrorism and our fight against violent extremism as a national policy imperative," he said.

According to media reports here, the focus of the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) later was the situation along the Line of Control and Indian "atrocities" in Kashmir.

The meeting comes a day after political leaders during an `All Parties Conference` resolved to raise the Kashmir issue at various international fora and said they stood united against Indian "aggression and violation of human rights" in Kashmir.

Tensions have simmered between India and Pakistan after the September 18 attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri town of Jammu and Kashmir, which left 19 security personnel dead. India blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group for the attack.

The relations between the neighbouring nations further deteriorated after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes to destroy seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-held Kashmir. Another Indian Border Security Force camp was attacked by militants on October 1 in Baramulla town of north Kashmir, which left a paramilitary personnel dead.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif apprised the Prime Minister of the situation along the border with India.

General Sharif met the Premier to discuss progress on various aspects of the anti-terror plan, the report said.