ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday at Prime Minister House, during which the on-going Rangers operation against criminal elements in Karachi and other affairs related to Sindh province were discussed, sources told DawnNews.

Matters related to internal security and the paramilitary forces' operation against suspected terrorists in Sindh also came under discussion.

General Raheel and Premier Nawaz Sharif agreed to continue the Karachi operation till elimination of the last criminal in the city and not to accept any pressure in this regard.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated his government's stance of owning the operation in the mega city which he termed entirely ‘apolitical’ and ‘indiscriminate’.

The army chief and prime minister also agreed that the financial base of miscreants will be destroyed to free the country's economic hub from the clutches of terrorists and supporters of anti-state elements.

According to the sources, the army chief also apprised the premier of the progress made so far in operation Zarb-i-Azb against militants in North Waziristan tribal region, which entered its last phase last month with the launch of a ground offensive in Shawal Valley.

Gen Raheel Sharif also discussed the security situation at the Line of Control (LoC), Working Boundary and the western boundary of Pakistan with the prime minister.

Corps Commander Karachi calls on CM Sindh

Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar on Monday called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

In a meeting held between the two, the current security situation in Karachi was discussed along with issues pertaining to the security operation being conducted in the metropolis.

The chief minister and the Corps commander also reviewed implementation of Apex Committee decisions related to the overall law and order situation.

At least eight people were killed on Friday in villages along the Working Boundary in the bloodiest ceasefire violations by India this year.

Know more: Bloodiest violation of truce by India this year; 8 killed

Army Chief Gen Raheel, who had dashed to Sialkot after the incident, said Indians had “crossed all limits to terrorise Pakistan’s civilian population disregarding international conventions and norms”.

Decrying the attacks on civilian population as a “cowardly act”, the army chief said there was “definite linkage between terrorism being sponsored by India in various parts of Pakistan and belligerence along LoC and WB”.

Military operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched by the Pakistan Army on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

Read: Zarb-e-Azb operation: 120 suspected militants killed in N Waziristan

More than a million people have fled the offensive in North Waziristan, which is aimed at wiping out longstanding militant strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.

Background: Karachi operation

The ‘operation’ against criminal elements in Pakistan’s commercial hub was initiated back in September 2013 after the federal cabinet empowered Rangers to lead a targeted advance with the support of police against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.

A high-level apex committee meeting chaired by the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif on May 14, 2015 decided to implement effective policing and surveillance in the "vast suburbs of Karachi", to prevent what the military spokesperson said were "sneaking terrorist attacks".

At the meeting, Gen Sharif vowed to continue "across the board operations" at an increased pace and hunt down terrorists who commit heinous acts.

Military spokesman Asim Bajwa announced that the meeting had assessed ongoing operations against terrorists, and touched upon directing intelligence agencies to assist in the "exploitation of existing leads" in all operations.