ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday vowed no compromise on national security as he received intelligence briefing amid escalating tensions with India.

Mr Khan visited the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for a briefing, which was also attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Moeed Yousuf and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hamid.

“A comprehensive briefing was given to the Prime Minister encompassing complex regional and domestic challenges with special focus on Pakistan efforts for restoration of peace and stability,” the PM Office said in a statement.

Attends briefing on ‘complex regional and domestic challenges’ at ISI headquarters

Mr Khan was quoted as having said at the meeting that the government would go to any extent to safeguard country’s sovereignty and national security.

This was prime minister’s second visit to the spy agency’s headquarters in as many months. He last visited the ISI offices on April 23.

His latest visit comes at a time when tensions with India have spiked sharply and Delhi has been regularly accusing Pakistan of Line of Control (LoC) infiltration and committing ceasefire violations.

On last Sunday, India expelled two Pakistani high commission officials accusing them of collecting data on the movement of troops and military cargo.

Mr Khan praised ISI’s “sacrifices and tireless efforts”, according to the media statement.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa in a visit to the Command and Staff College Quetta on Monday emphasised that peace in the region depended on resolution of longstanding disputes – a reference to Kashmir. He had also called for “meaningful international support” for dealing with the threats to peace.

Military Spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, in a talk show on a private channel on Wednesday evening, said any military misadventure by India would be responded with full force.

He warned of dire consequences of any Indian military action against Pakistan and said that the situation could spiral out of control.

“India should stop playing with fire,” the Inter-Services Public Relations director general said while describing the situation of LoC as alarming.

Rejecting Indian allegations, he said it has become a routine for Delhi to blame Pakistan for its failures.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2020