ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Gene­ral Asim Munir on Monday held a meeting on key security concerns, including a recent PTI protest in Islamabad in which several lives were lost over the course of demonstrations spanning multiple days.

The government did not share details of the meeting with the media, but a source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the huddle discussed the Nov 24 D-Chowk protest and vowed to spare nobody involved in violence and the killing of law enforcers.

“It was decided that no leniency will be shown for those who killed security personnel and destroyed state property,” the source said. The meeting, attended by top security officials, also discussed a surge in terrorism, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The huddle also took stock of a renewed threat by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur about another protest march to Islamabad if the government did not release PTI founder Imran Khan from jail. The source said the meeting also remembered the Army Public School tragedy on the occasion of its 10th anniversary on Monday. Security officials gave a detailed briefing on internal and external security matters.

PM to visit Egypt for two-day D-8 summit

D-8 Summit

PM Shehbaz Sharif will visit Egypt from December 18 to 20 to participate in the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) in Cairo. Preceding the summit, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the 21st session of the D-8 Council of Ministers on December 18, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

“At the summit, the prime minister will underline the importance of investing in youth and SMEs for building a strong and inclusive economy; creating jobs; advancing innovation; and promoting local entrepreneurship, the spokesperson added.

The PM will express Pakistan’s strong commitment to the ideals of D-8, underscore the importance of fostering partnerships for mutual benefit and prosperity, and promote cooperation in agriculture, food security, and tourism. He will also underline Pakistan’s incentives for youth empowerment and financial development, the statement added.

The prime minister will also attend the special session of D-8 on the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction challenges in Gaza and Lebanon to deliberate on the situation resulting from Israeli aggression in the Middle East.

He would underline Pakistan’s principled position on the situation in Palestine and call for peace in the Middle East. On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with participating leaders.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024