PM to chair NSC meeting today

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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair the 6th meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) of the Cabinet today (Friday).

The previous meeting of the NSC was held on April 6.

The meeting is likely to be attended by ministers of finance, defence, interior and information as well as chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, chief of army staff, chief of naval staff, chief of air staff, director general ISI, national security advisor and other senior officials.

There is a possibility of a one-on-one meeting to be held between the prime minister and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on the sidelines of the meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently held a meeting with the army chief. Not a lot was told to the media regarding the meeting.

But the convening of the NSC soon after the Shehbaz-Raheel meeting may mean that two sides are converging on various issues.

The issues relating to neighbouring countries of India and Afghanistan are also likely to be discussed at the meeting. The recent border management row with Afghanistan and the telephonic conversation between Dr Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may also come under discussion at the meeting.

Relations with Afghanistan are at an all-time low and the government has expressed the intention of coming up with a comprehensive strategy to address the issues.

The situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir and atrocities of the Indian security forces on protesting Kashmiris after Buran Wani’s killing will also be a part of the agenda of the meeting.

Pak-US relations with the recent visit of the US delegation led by Senator John McCain will also be discussed in the meeting. The US State Department has urged Pakistan not to allow any militant organistaion to use its soil for attacks against its neighbouring countries with reference to the July 6 statement made by the army chief who directed the army command and the intelligence agencies not to allow use of Pakistani soil for subversive attacks in other countries.