In a significant political development, the Pakistani government summoned on Tuesday an important consultative meeting on national and regional security in light of its ongoing operation in Afghanistan and the situation in neighboring Iran. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, 11:30 a.m., to be held at the Prime Minister's Office, most likely.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tasked his Adviser on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, with reaching out to leaders of all political parties, including the incarcerated ex-PM Imran Khan-led opposition party, to ensure their participation in the upcoming session.
Speaking to the media, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the leadership of all political parties has been invited for a comprehensive briefing on matters related to national and regional security.
The Law Minister further informed that PM Shehbaz will give an in-camera briefing to the political leadership, underscoring the importance of unity and consultation on key security challenges facing the country and the wider region.
‘464 Taliban fighters killed'
As per the latest update, provided by Pakistan Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Pakistan has killed 464 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan as ongoing hostilities with its neighbor entered the sixth day.
Under Pakistan’s Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, over 665 Taliban fighters are injured, 188 of their check posts have been destroyed, 31 posts captured, 192 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery guns have been destroyed, whereas 56 locations across Afghanistan have been targeted, the minister informed.
The operation was announced on the night of Feb. 26, following deadly clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border for a second time that week.
The clashes came in light of the air strikes carried out in Afghanistan by Pakistan a week before that. Pakistan claimed the strikes were carried out at safe havens of terrorists hiding on Afghan soil. Pakistan has long blamed Afghanistan for harboring terrorists who operate against it. Afghanistan has denied the claim.
Situation in Middle East
The situation in the Middle East, on the other hand, remained tense for a fourth consecutive day as the U.S. and Israel struck Pakistan’s other neighbor, Iran, last Saturday.
Tehran hit back at Israel but also at the U.S. military infrastructure across the region, raising fears of a wider regional war. With tensions mounting and energy markets reacting sharply, officials signal the confrontation could stretch on longer than initially projected.
The unprecedented escalation forced massive airspace and economic disruption globally as Iranian missiles and drones landed in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.
The U.S. has confirmed six of its military servicemen have been killed in the operation, whereas at least 700 are said to have been killed in Iran and about a dozen in Israel.
Comments
See what people are discussing