By IRNA,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said the democratic government will never give in to terrorism and the writ of government will be established at all cost.
This, he stated, while chairing a high-level meeting here at the Prime Minister Secretariat to review the law and order situation in the county in general, and the security situation of the Islamabad Capital Territory in particular.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sherry Rehman talking to the media after attending the meeting said that the government will evolve a counter-terrorism strategy in accordance with its three-pronged policy of using development, dialogue and deterrence (use of force as last resort) to fight extremism.
Sherry informed that during the meeting the Prime Minister said that countering terrorism was the government’s top priority and the government will evolve a dynamic national counter-terrorism strategy to eliminate and root out this menace threatening the very core of our country.
The Information Minister said that the Prime Minister will consult and take into confidence all four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and all partners at each step of evolving a national counter-terrorism strategy for Pakistan.
The meeting reviewed the security situation after the Marriott bomb attack and appreciated the crisis-management efforts of the committee constituted by the Prime Minister in the wake of the deadly attack.
Elaborating on the meeting’s outcomes, the Minister informed that the PM had decided to constitute two committees at the Federal Ministers’ and Federal Secretaries’ levels, which will be tasked with the formulation of a national counter-terrorism strategy.
Accordingly, the Ministerial-level committee will be led by Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sherry Rehman and will include Advisor on Interior, Rehman Malik, Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Law Minister, Farooq Naek, Finance Minister, Naveed Qamar, Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Najmuddin Khan and Health Minister-designate.
The Secretary-level committee will be led by Secretary Interior, Syed Kamal Shah and will include Secretary Finance, Waqar Masood, Secretary Religious Affairs, Najibullah Malik, Secretary Law, Justice Agha Rafiq Khan and Strategic Communications Specialist, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ammara Durrani.
The Information Minister said that the two committees will submit their respective reports and recommendations to the government within two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sherry Rehman, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Interior, Rehman Malik, Minister for Labour and Manpower, Khurshid Shah, Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Najmuddin Khan, Chief Minister NWFP, Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Advisor to CM Punjab, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa, DG ISI, DG IB, DG MI, Secretaries Interior, Information and representatives of other law enforcement agencies