Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) met on Tuesday to endorse its Army’s decision to put those involved in ransacking the military installations under trial under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act.
The meeting was held after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) attacked army institutions to retaliate against the arrest of their chief and former prime minister Imran Khan last week.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting which was attended by senior ministers of the cabinet, the three service chiefs and the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI) Nadeem Ahmed Anjum Sheikh.
Pakistan chief of army staff Asim Munir also chaired a special corps commanders conference on Monday where the army vowed that it will not exercise restraint if military installations are attacked again and those involved in the recent attacks shall be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act.
However, all participants agreed that dialogue is preferred over confrontation to resolve the political differences.
“The meeting endorsed the decision to initiate trials against the perpetrators, conspirators, and facilitators under relevant laws including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act, to ensure justice,” a statement released by the NSC, which was accessed by CNN-News18, said.
The meeting also discussed the issue of elections in Pakistan. People present in the meeting agreed on the ‘First Stability — Then Election’ Plan citing Pakistan is in need of economic and political stability.
People familiar with the developments said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government may delay the polls and extend the tenure of the current National Assembly by 6 to 12 months as per constitution.
Most of the participants present in the meeting have agreed to the proposal.
The person familiar with the development told CNN-News18 that the possible leakage of sensitive information regarding army installations and personnel could have been made by certain military personnel and ex-servicemen. Intelligence agencies were told to actively investigate the matter.
During the meeting, intelligence chiefs indicated possible involvement of certain officers and ex-servicemen in aiding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in attacks on army and military installations.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment to a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards violence and unrest, emphasising that such acts would not be tolerated in the country and declared May 9 as a National Black Day.
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