ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa recommended Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday to not deploy army troops to end Faizabad sit-in, saying that force cannot be used against fellow Pakistanis.
Instead, the top leadership decided, to engage in political negotiations with protestors in Islamabad. Prime Minister Abbasi and Army Chief convened a meeting in the federal capital Sunday and deliberated over the prevalent situation following launch of a security operation against Faizabad-sit-in protesters Friday night.
Reportedly, the army chief recommended PM to not use the military against the protesters.
Chief of Army Staff Qamar Jawed Bajwa, who flew in from the United Arab Emirates, attended the over two-hour-long meeting headed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence Naveed Mukhtar.
Rangers were given charge of the Faizabad operation in a bid to control the chaos in the capital. Around 1,000 Rangers personnel, who were deployed in Islamabad yesterday, have been repositioned to the frontlines of the security operation.
Islamabad police and FC personnel, who were on the frontlines on Saturday, have been relegated to back positions, as decided in a meeting of police, capital administration and Rangers officials on Saturday night.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a high-level meeting to evolve a strategy to tackle the situation in the federal capital and other parts of the country following the launch of an operation.
The meeting chaired by the prime minister was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal along with district administration and police officials from the twin cities.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif met to discuss the situation and deliberated over ways to achieve a peaceful resolution. NNI/Agencies
