Islamabad: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, while talking to a private TV, claimed that the participants of the National Security Committee meeting during the PTI government had expressed concerns over the decision to bring terrorists back to Pakistan. According to him, questions were also raised at the meeting on the potential risks of this policy and its consequences, but the decisions seemed to be decided in advance.
Khawaja Asif said that he himself did not speak in this meeting. Because they knew it was all set. He further revealed that in the meeting, National Assembly member Mohsin Dawar criticized the decision, but when he got up to speak again, he was stopped.
According to the defense minister, about 4,000 people were brought back and settled in different areas under this policy, and some of them were also publicly protested. He added that the terrorists in Balochistan also have links in Iran and Afghanistan, and security forces are constantly conducting operations against them.
Regarding the ongoing military operations against terrorists, Khawaja Asif said that he did not remember that the National Security Committee meeting had set a three-month period for any operation. Even if there was a discussion about it, they wouldn’t talk about it. He also said that Ali Amin Gandapur had made a formal criticism in the meeting, but it did not have any significant effect.
The defense minister’s statement has once again sparked a debate on past security policies, while the issue is likely to provoke further reactions in political and military circles.
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