ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday and discussed measures taken to provide effective security coverage to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Matters related to the internal security of the country were also discussed at the meeting between the two.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also met the premier and discussed the current security situation of the country.

Read: Ground offensive in Shawal; Zarb-i-Azb enters final phase

The interior minister also apprised the prime minister about his meeting with British leadership during his recent trip to the United Kingdom.

The final phase of operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan got under way late last month as troops launched a ground offensive in Shawal Valley, one of the last strongholds of militants in the region.

The Zarb-i-Azb operation began in June last year and the army says it has cleared most of North Waziristan. Shawal Valley and a pocket to its northwest are the remaining areas that need to be cleared.

The terrorists, except for those who have fled to Afghanistan, are said to be holed up in Shawal. One of the reasons the fleeing militants chose Shawal as their refuge was a perception that Shawal was inaccessible.

The area is considered to be a stronghold of Gul Bahadur, a warlord once considered to be pro-government, and an Al Qaeda sanctuary. Presence of Haqqani network militants was also reported from the valley when a US drone strike on June 6 killed nine Haqqani men there. Shawal has been the focus of US drone attacks this year.