Zardari, Shehbaz reaffirm commitment to ending terrorism
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed national security, regional developments and counterterrorism efforts. The meeting took place at the President House on Friday. The leaders reviewed domestic and foreign affairs alongside the evolving regional situation. They also discussed ongoing operations against terrorism and related security challenges. Read more:…
On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad to discuss a newly signed defense agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. President Zardari expressed his support for the implementation of the tripartite pact, which aims to enhance defense cooperation, regional peace and stability, and promote the security of the Muslim ummah.
He also commended the efforts of the Pakistani prime minister, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff in strengthening the long-standing ties between the three nations.
The agreement, signed on August 7 in Makkah, seeks to boost collective deterrence and allow the signatory states to consider an attack on one of them as an attack on all. Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia will establish political and military mechanisms under the defense pact, along with deepening defense industry cooperation. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan indicated that Egypt might join the pact in the future, provided that a few technical issues are addressed.
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Somalia have welcomed the agreement, while Iran expressed a positive stance on pursuing regional cooperation for security and counter-terrorism efforts.
During the meeting, both leaders emphasized the importance of addressing terrorism in the region, designating Balochistan-based terrorist groups as "Fitna-al-Hindustan" and those belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as "Fitna al-Khawarij." They reiterated the commitment to completely eradicate terrorism from their homeland and ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities at reasonable prices.
President Zardari also shared his optimism about Pakistan's diplomatic efforts in the US-Iran conflict, hoping that these efforts would strengthen the country's international standing and positively impact its economy and people.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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