US drone strikes inside Pakistan must stop now: General Raheel

ISLAMABAD (Web desk) - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said that US drone strikes were regrettable and should stop as they are a threat to the sovereignty and security of the country.

The COAS said this while speaking informally to the media at a reception after attending President Mamnoon Hussain’s address to a joint session of Parliament.

The reception was also attended by JI chief Sirajul Haq, Akram Khan Durrani of the JUI-F, Special Adviser for Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and various cabinet ministers, including Senator Ishaq Dar. The session was also attended by the chiefs of the army, navy, and air force.

The army chief added that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was a national project, to be completed at any cost.

He further said border management with Afghanistan was also improving, adding that the responsibility now lies with Afghanistan as it does not man fewer check-posts than on the Pakistani side.

The army chief also said that the security situation in Karachi and Balochistan was improving.

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Regarding the ongoing war on terror, he said, “The war on terror will be completed at any cost.”

He also lauded the efforts of those participating in Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

General Raheel also briefed the president on his visit to Turkey where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Pakistan Army’s accomplishments in Operation Zarb-e-Azb and its contributions to regional peace and stability.

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The army chief and president also discussed issues of national security.