PM reviews Karachi law and order situation

KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in the city.

 During the meeting Prime Minister Sharif was briefed about strategic changes made to ongoing operation in Karachi. Prime Minister Sharif was informed that the changes were made due to Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

The operation continues in sensitive and suburban areas of the city and action is being taken against terrorists and criminals.

Prime Minister Sharif was also informed that IDPs arriving in Karachi were being checked.

The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad, DG Rangers and other high-ranking officials.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting to review development projects.(GNN)(Thenews)(AIP)

PM, Army chief discuss Operation Zarb-e-Azb

(GNN) - ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif here on Wednesday.

During the meeting the prime minister and COAS discussed the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency.

Army chief informed the prime minister that Operation Zarb-e-Azb was proceeding according to plan.

The prime minister said a comprehensive plan had been prepared for the IDPs who will be resettled after the operation concludes. Prime Minister Sharif also expressed satisfaction in the coordination between the Pakistan Army and other institutions during the operation.

Pakistan’s military launched the operation in North Waziristan Agency to root out terrorism from the tribal region. The operation has led to over half a million people fleeing from the agency and taking shelter at camps.

In earlier statements Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and COAS Raheel Shairf have expressed that the operation will continue till the last terrorist is eliminated.

PM to meet PPP leadership

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has decided to meet Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership for exchange of views on the political situation in the country and issues relating to internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be meeting former president Asif Ali Zardari in the next few days and for this purpose he was likely to visit Sindh. Other senior leaders of the party would also be accompanying the prime minister, sources said. (Geo)

PM Nawaz takes parliament into confidence over NWA operation

ISLAMABAD: Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ has been launched against terrorism and it will continue till the obtainment of the final objective of restoration of peace and tranquility in Pakistan, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here on Monday.

Addressing the lawmakers and senator from the floor of National Assembly and then Senate here, the Prime Minister said the government, with a view to give peace a chance, had begun dialogue process but at the same made it clear that talks and terrorism cannot go side by side.

“We gave peace a chance despite the sacrifice of thousands of lives rendered by the army and others,” the PM recalled.

However, he regretted that the offer of initiating the peace talks process made in all sincerity was not reciprocated in the same coin. “On the one hand the peace negotiations were undertaken while on the other the bloodbath of our women and children also continued,” he added.

He said the ‘game of fire and death was being played from Islamabad Kutchery to Karachi airport’. “So much so that even our worship places, educational institutions, army installations, airports and residences became unsafe.”

He said the acts of terrorism dealt a great blow to the dignity and standing of Pakistan.

The Prime Minster said in the wake of relentless string of terrorist attacks and, finally, after the deadly assault on Karachi airport the decision was taken to launch the operation. “I am confident the operation will be the harbinger of peace and security for Pakistan,” he added.

He said special centers have already been set up for those willing to adopt the path to peace.

He urged the religious Ulema to come forward and guide the fellow countrymen so that terrorism and extremism can be defeated.

The Premier said there might have been difference of opinion over peace talks and operation but this must come to an end now.

He said prays of every mother, daughter and youth of Pakistan are for the armed force of the country.

“The entire nation stands behind the armed forces,” he said, adding, the political leadership of the country also stand behinds the forces.

He also called upon the country-loving inhabitants of tribes to also play their due role in the operation.

The Prime Minister said the Minister for States and Frontiers, Abdul Qadir Baloch will coordinate efforts between the Federation and provincial governments and hoped that Baloch will continue to get the cooperation of the Khyber Pakhtunwah government.
PM Nawaz on Operation -16 Jun 2014 by GeoNews

PM says operation will continue till all terrorists eliminated

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the military operation in North Waziristan will continue till all terrorists have been eliminated.

According to official sources, Prime Minister Sharif is in contact with the military leadership and has been briefed on the initial results of the operation.

The prime minister is expected to take the nation into confidence about operation Zard-e-Azb while addressing the National Assembly on Monday.

All the members of parliament and federal ministers have been asked to be present during the proceedings of the house. The prime minister is likely to give the whole background of talks with the extremists and sincerity of the government to find a peaceful solution of the situation.

It is expected that a resolution of identical text would be adopted by the two houses of parliament for pronouncing support of the action of the government against the terrorists.

Prime Minister says terrorists defamed peace-loving Islam

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the terrorists defamed Islam, which is a religion of peace, and lamented that innocent citizens are being subjected to extreme brutality. The prime minister said that in the wake of the ongoing conflict between right and falsehood, “we need to seek inspiration and guidance from the uprightness of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) to frustrate the evil designs of those damaging the true spirit of Islam”.

In his message on the Day of Ashura commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the prime minister said the heart-wrenching incident of Karbala has no parallel in the history of mankind. He said by sacrificing his life along with his family, Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) proved that for a true Muslim nothing was more important than the honour and dignity of Islam.

He said the historic encounter between the forces of truth and falsehood made Islam an everlasting religion.

“Though the Day of Ashura recounts a story of grief and anguish it actually portrays the triumph of virtue over vice,” Nawaz said. He said the steadfastness demonstrated by Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) in the face of cruelty and tyranny proved that uprightness always prevails and that any enemy could be defeated with determination and absolute faith in God.

The premier said the devious terrorists who are subjecting innocent citizens to extreme brutality and defaming Islam probably do not know that a nation with staunch followers of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) amongst its ranks can never be dispirited by them.

He hoped that the nation with unwavering faith in Almighty Allah and strong willpower will defeat the enemies of Islam. “Let us pledge today that we utilise all our energies to preserve the honour and dignity of Islam, serve the nation and rid the country of all evils to develop it as a true Islamic welfare state,” the prime minister said.

President Mamnoon Hussain in his message said that the Day of Ashura reminds us of the martyrdom that Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions, including innocent children, at Karbala to uphold the uprightness and preserve the sanctity of Islam.

“The best way to pay homage to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions is to resolve that we will mould our lives in accordance with their teachings,” the president said.

“Today we should also ponder as to what are those internal and external forces that are bent upon weakening the country and who are the elements harming the unity and solidarity of the Pakistani nation to fulfil their evil designs,” he said.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari in his message said the nation should forge unity and harmony on the solemn occasion of Ashura and urged people to be cautious of those who want to destroy sectarian harmony in the country.

He said Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) sacrificed his life and the lives of his dearest family members and associates for the cause of truth and justice and against tyranny, falsehood and authoritarianism and in doing so he bequeathed a lesson to us to resist oppression and tyranny in whatever form it may rear its head.

The former president said it is hard to find a parallel example of Hazrat Imam Hussain’s supreme sacrifice in the annals of history.

The PPP patron in chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his message on Youm-e-Ashur urged the Muslims to learn from the supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and continue to struggle for higher values and the triumph of goodness over evil.

He appealed to people to rise above the divide on the basis of various schools of thought and forge unity amongst them.

John Kerry telephones

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sources said PM Nawaz showed concerns of Pakistan on drone strikes during telephonic contact with John Kerry.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry suggested on Monday an attack that killed the Pakistani Taliban leader was justifiable but added Washington was sensitive to Pakistan's concerns, after Islamabad denounced the raid as a blow to peace talks.

Speaking at a news conference on a visit to Saudi Arabia, Kerry said he would not confirm or comment on reports that a US drone had killed the Taliban leader.

But he said of Mehsud: "This is a man who absolutely is known to have targeted and killed many Americans, many Afghans and many Pakistanis. A huge number of Pakistanis have died at the hands of Mehsud and his terrorist organization."

"Pakistan has been deeply threatened by this insurgency in Pakistan."

Kerry added: " we are sensitive to the concerns of the country and we look forward to working very closely with the government of Pakistan."

"We intend to continue to work together with them (Pakistanis) through the strategic dialogue that we have established in order to work through these kinds of challenges."

Hakimullah Mehsud, who took over as the leader of the al Qaeda linked Pakistani Taliban in 2009, was killed on Friday, along with three others, in a US drone strike in northwest Pakistan, security and Taliban sources said. (GNN) (Geo) (Yoogle)

PM says Pakistan facing internal, external challenges

BAHAWALPUR: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan was facing internal and external challenges.

The prime minister was addressing participants witnessing the Pakistan Army exercises Azm-e-Nau being held at Kahirpur Tamaywali.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, “gone are the days when our national security policies were made on phone calls from abroad.” He added that democracy in the country had been strengthened.

The prime minister praised the Pakistan Army for always standing with the people of Pakistan, adding that the army had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

Prime Minister Sharif said the All Parties Conference (APC) had decided to give peace a chance. “We want the civil society, political parties and Pakistan Army to be on the same level.”

Reiterating Pakistan’s stance, Prime Minister Sharif said US drone strikes were counterproductive.

PM, army chief to witness Pak army exercises today

BAHAWALPUR: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with the Army Chief, General Ashfaque Parvez Kayani are witnessing the ongoing Pakistan Army exercises called Azm-e-Nau on Monday here.

Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif is the chief guest at the concluding Pakistan Army exercises Azm-e-Nau at Tehsil Khairpur Tamaywali here. (GNN) (Geo)

Drone strikes can end tomorrow, if Pakistan wanted: Grayson

WASINGTON: US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee member Congressman Alan Grayson has said that drone strikes in Pakistan could end tomorrow if the country wanted to and that no such attacks take place without the approval of Pakistan. The Democrat Congressman from Florida also said that he received no evidence from the Obama administration to suggest that there would be a drop in drone strikes conducted in Pakistan by the end of this year.

He said that had Pakistan wanted, drone attacks on its territory could end tomorrow if the country stopped facilitating the US strikes.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, during his recent trip to the US, had talked to President Obama on the drone issue after which the government had announced that the results of the talks would be visible shortly and that the nation would see its positive effects in the coming days as the number of drone strikes would significantly be reduced by the end of this year.

Pakistan has a strong Air Force which had the power to impose a restriction on its borders whenever it chose to, according to the Congressman who added that, such attacks were not possible without the consent of the country struck.

Grayson further said that it was possible that a similar situation developed in Pakistan and only then there would be an end to drone attacks.

Moreover, he said Pakistan's armed forces were capable of tackling militants and that in such a situation the US should not have blood on its hands. He added that there were only a handful militants in the country, whose numbers hardly run into hundreds, whereas the strength of Pakistan's military was more than a million.

Grayson was of the view that heirs of the innocent victims of drone attacks should receive compensation from the United States.

Wondering as to why the decision of who lives and who does not was taken thousand of miles away from Pakistan, Grayson said that the call was for God to make but drones were taking those decisions here instead.

Earlier on Tuesday Congressman Grayson met with the family of a Pakistani elementary school teacher, Rafiq-ur-Rehman, whose mother was killed in a US drone strike last year.

Rafiq, who was visiting the US with his family on an invitation sent by Congressman Grayson, provided him with their accounts of the attack that killed the school-teacher's 67-year-old mother, Momina Bibi in North Waziristan.