The United States has thrown its weight behind the counter-terrorism decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC) in its recent meeting, saying \u201cPakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism\u201d.<\/p>\n
The statement from US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price comes two days after the NSC \u2014 the highest civil-military forum for decisions on matters pertaining to national security \u2014 expressed firm resolve to crush terrorist groups operating against Pakistan.<\/p>\n
In the NSC meeting that spanned for two days from Dec 31 to Jan 1, the forum had categorically asked Afghanistan\u2019s rulers \u2014 without directly naming them \u2014 to deny safe haven to Pakistani terrorist groups on its soil and end their patronage, while reiterating its intent to crush terrorist groups operating inside the country with full force.<\/p>\n
The uncharacteristically strong-worded statement issued at the end of the NSC meeting said: \u201cPakistan\u2019s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of Pakistan\u2019s territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a press briefing on Tuesday, the US State Department spokesperson said the US was aware of the NSC\u2019s recent statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism,\u201d Price said in response to a question.<\/p>\n
He said that the [Afghan] Taliban must uphold the very commitment they had made that their soil would never be used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are among the very commitments that the Taliban have been unable or unwilling to fulfil to date,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by key ministers, services chiefs, and top intelligence officials, also endorsed the government\u2019s road map for the restoration of economic stability in the country.<\/p>\n
The NSC meeting was called to deliberate on the surge in terrorist attacks and the deepening economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Most of the attacks have been carried out by the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).<\/p>\n
The increase in border incidents involving Taliban forces was also discussed at the forum.<\/p>\n
The committee agreed on a number of steps to deal with the worsening security situation, which has also drawn the attention of a number of important capitals prompting them to issue advisories for their nationals residing here.<\/p>\n
The most important of all these actions was to send an unequivocal message to neighbouring Afghanistan to end all its support to TTP.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people,\u201d the NSC statement read.<\/p>\n
The warning was sent out in the midst of an escalating war of words between the two countries over TTP and the border dispute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United States has thrown its weight behind the counter-terrorism decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC) in its recent meeting, saying \u201cPakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism\u201d. The statement from US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price comes two days after the NSC \u2014 the highest civil-military forum for decisions on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-305452","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n