LAHORE, Pakistan: The top military leadership on Tuesday decided to initiate an operation against banned outfits in Southern Punjab; however, the civil government is yet to be taken into confidence, sources said.
Sources said that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa while presiding over a high level meeting on Tuesday at Corps Headquarters Lahore in which General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 10 Division and top officials of intelligence agencies participated, ordered to launch a grand operation against criminals and terrorists in Southern Punjab.
During the meeting, the Corps Commander Lahore Lt General Sadiq Ali briefed the COAS about yesterday’s suicide blast outside the Punjab assembly.
Sources said that security institutions will take the Punjab government into confidence before the operation.
The decision has been taken a day after a suicide bomber struck a protest at Chairing Cross on Mall road, resulting in deaths of at least 15 persons including senior police officers.
Meanwhile while chairing a meeting in Lahore today to review law and order situation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif emphasized ‘swift, ruthless and successful response’ as the only option to eliminate terrorism from the Country.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan while talking to media on his arrival at Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore also demanded an operation led by Rangers like the Karachi operation.
The PTI Chief said that if the 20-point national action plan (NAP) was implemented in letter and spirit, terrorism would have been rooted out.
