ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced plans to convene an all-parties conference (APC) aimed at garnering support for the newly launched “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam,” which seeks to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan.
The schedule for the APC will be finalized upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s return from Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, where he is currently representing Pakistan at global summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). His return is expected tonight.
According to local media reports, the APC aims to achieve consensus among political parties regarding “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam.” The federal government intends to engage all political stakeholders before formally commencing the operation.
Reports say that the APC is likely to be held in the last week of July.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif clarified that “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam” does not involve a large-scale military operation, contrary to speculation. Instead, he emphasized that ongoing intelligence-based kinetic operations would be intensified.
Addressing a federal cabinet meeting convened to address misunderstandings and speculations about “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam,” the Prime Minister emphasized that the initiative is a comprehensive national strategy aimed at decisively eliminating the remnants of terrorists and violent extremism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that launching a large-scale armed operation would necessitate displacement, which is not the intention under “Vision Azm-i-Istehkam.”
The operation, he clarified, is focused on multi-domain efforts to eradicate terrorism comprehensively.
