Pakistan PM calls meeting of top decision-making body on nuclear issues

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called a meeting of the top decision-making body on nuclear issues after India targeted terrorist camp in the country.

The National Command Authority controls policy formulation, exercises, deployment, research and development, employment and operational command and control of the country’s nuclear arsenals.

The decision to call the NCA meeting was taken on Tuesday in the meeting of National Security Committee – a civil-military top-level body that discussed the situation after the Indian attack.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country.

Following the incident, India on Tuesday bombed and destroyed JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control (LoC) early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.

The joint session of Parliament has been called today (Wednesday) to discuss the tension with India and formulate a national response.

The parliamentary leaders will also be given an in-camera briefing by the government on the situation after India’s strikes.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi alleged the Indian government is issuing threatening statements in the aftermath of Pulwama incident on the pretext of terrorism just to divert the world opinion from rights violations in Kashmir.

Qureshi said that Pakistan reserves the right to take an appropriate action in self-defence.