- COAS to brief Senate tomorrow on security matters
RAWALPINDI, December 17: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack at Quetta’s church that claimed at least eight lives and injured over dozens, viewing it ‘an attempt to create religious cleavages.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief said the attack at Quetta’s Bethel Memorial Church intended to cloud Christmas celebrations.
“Quetta church attack targeting our brotherly Christian Pakistanis is an attempt to cloud Christmas celebrations / create religious cleavages. Effective response by LEAs is commendable. We stay united and steadfast to respond against such heinous attempts: COAS,” tweeted DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor on his official twitter account.
Earlier today, at least nine people including women and children were killed while 35 others injured when two gunmen wearing explosives-filled vests attacked Bethel Memorial Methodist Church located on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road.
Talking to media persons, Home Minister Balochistan Sarfaraz said as per initial reports two suicide attackers stormed the church when Sunday service was ongoing, one of them detonated his charge inside the church while the other was shot dead by security personnel at the entrance to the church. The provincial police chief confirmed two suicide bombers attacked the church when Sunday service was ongoing.
He said security personnel deployed at the church shot and killed one of the attackers, while another exploded his explosive-filled vest after being wounded at the main gate of the church.
There were about 400 worshipers inside the church, but security forces’ timely response averted more casualties, he added.
RAWALPINDI, December 17: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will take the Senate’s Committee of the Whole into confidence on the security situation on Tuesday, a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat said on Sunday.
Gen Bajwa will brief the entire house — acting as a committee — in-camera at 10am on December 19 on “the emerging national security paradigm for Pakistan with respect to recent visits/developments”.
Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza will accompany the COAS in the briefing.
The committee was constituted on the motion “to prepare policy guidelines in the light of emerging regional realities and the role of United States”.
Earlier on Friday, expressing concerns over the terms of reference (ToRs) of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) being kept secret, senators had demanded that parliament be apprised of the particulars of the military alliance. – DNA / Agencies
