Pakistan National Security Committee: No peace in region until Kashmir issue is resolved

Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday said that there will be no peace in the region until the issue of Kashmir is resolved. It was stated during a National Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during which matters pertaining to national security and foreign policy were discussed, Sharif’s office said in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_3772815” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif. AP[/caption] “The participants reiterated that regional peace and progress was directly linked to the resolution of all outstanding issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said. It further said that Pakistan continues to work for peace and progress in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process with the help of both regional and global partners, and will continue to strive for the return of normalcy in Afghanistan at the earliest. “This, however, requires simultaneous efforts by the Afghan government for restoring effective control on its territory,” it said. It was reiterated in the meeting that Pakistan has acted as a frontline state in global counterterrorism efforts with unparalleled sacrifices and successes. “No other country in the world has done as much for global safety and security as Pakistan at a huge cost of both men and material,” the statement added. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and National Security Advisor Lieutenant General (R) Nasser Khan Janjua. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and Director General ISI Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar also attended the meeting.