PM Shehbaz-led meeting decides to expand intelligence-based operations in KP

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on national and internal security, focused on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Daily Pakistan, the meeting decided to expand intelligence-based counter-terrorism operations in the province.

The meeting also decided to improve coordination among the federal and provincial governments and all relevant institutions. Military and civilian officials and federal ministers attended. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also took part and briefed the meeting on measures taken by provincial government departments.

The participants discussed the situation in 12 districts of the province. They reviewed the performance of ARDC and the progress made in implementing the federal government's Rs160 billion package for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Governor's rule and an emergency in the province were also discussed.

On the political side, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met the prime minister with a PPP delegation. They discussed the political and economic situation and the situation after governor's rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier, a high-level PPP meeting chaired by Bilawal at Zardari House discussed the political situation, parliamentary matters and statements by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

In Balochistan, security forces carried out two intelligence-based operations in the Kachhi and Kharan districts and killed 17 terrorists, described in the report as India-backed. In Kachhi's Sunni area, forces foiled an attempt to block a road, killed 10 terrorists and recovered weapons and explosives.

In Kharan, a terrorist hideout was destroyed and 7 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists were killed after an exchange of fire. Sepoy Hikmatullah was martyred in the exchange. President Asif Ali Zardari and the prime minister praised the security forces, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised them and expressed sympathy with the soldier's family.

In a separate incident, three police personnel were martyred and one was injured in firing by unknown armed men in Mohmand district. It happened in Dag Tamanzai area of Pandiali tehsil, near Hashim Kor police checkpoint, as police were going on duty for an anti-polio campaign. Two of the dead were identified as Zahoor and Arabi, and the injured policeman was taken to hospital.