The 254th Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) on Wednesday pledged to tackle the resurgence of terrorism across Pakistan “without any distinction,” and eliminate militancy in accordance with the wishes of the public.
The CCC meeting spanned two days—Dec. 27-28—and was the first chaired by Gen. Asim Munir since his elevation to the post of Chief of Army Staff (COAS). According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the gathered officers undertook a comprehensive review of professional and organizational matters of the Army. “It was resolved to fight against terrorists without any distinction and eliminate this menace as per the aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” it added in a brief write-up of the gathering.
There has been a marked surge in terrorism across Pakistan, especially Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, raising the fear of a new wave of the militancy that the country had last seen during the peak of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. A suicide bombing in Islamabad last week caused further panic, with several countries directing mission staff based in the federal capital to avoid all large public gatherings in the face of a potential terror attack.
The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has vowed that it would work with law enforcement agencies and utilize all available resources to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan. Speculation has also mounted that the military is planning a major operation to oust militants who have secured footholds along the Pak-Afghan border, but the ISPR statement did not specify if the initiative had been discussed in the Corps Commanders Conference. It was also silent on cross-border conflict between Afghan and Pakistani troops, despite such incidents increasing in regularity in recent months.