Will weed out extremist elements from Pakistan: Army chief Bajwa tells President Alvi

PTI, Feb 15, 2022, 6:27 PM IST

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met President Dr Arif Alvi and has reiterated the armed forces’ resolve to weed out extremist elements from the country, according to a statement released by the President’s House on Tuesday.

Bajwa met President Alvi at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday, where he briefed the head of state on the operation against terrorists and the security forces’ professional readiness.

The Army chief also reiterated his forces’ resolve “to eliminate militants and miscreants from the country,” the release said. Two weeks ago, the security forces flushed out 20 militants from Naushki and Panjgur areas in the restive Balochistan province.

“The nation is proud of the armed forces’ sacrifices […] despite all the troubles, the security forces have defended the country’s borders,” President Alvi said after the meeting. Bajwa also met Prime Minister Khan on Monday, a rare engagement that took place on the sidelines of the apex committee on Afghanistan’s session.

This high-profile meeting has elicited considerable interest, especially after Khan and Bajwa were at odds over the appointment of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt. Gen Nadeem Anjum. “Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan today.

Professional matters pertaining to the Pakistan Army were discussed during the meeting,” Pakistan’s PMO said in a tweet.