Participants in a high-level meeting, with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair and top military commanders in attendance, said on Friday that country’s security was the top priority and national geographical boundaries would be protected at all costs. They said Pakistan knew very well how to defend its borders.

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Nadeem Raza, chiefs of the armed forces and the Inter-Services Intelligence director general attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed internal and external security challenges facing the country.

Expressing concern at the extreme human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, the participants appealed to the international community to take notice of the Indian atrocities against Kashmiris. They also paid a tribute to the law enforcement agencies for foiling the terrorist attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange earlier this week.

Later on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting, which reviewed progress on various projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

At the meeting, the prime minister was given a briefing about the progress on CPEC projects. Addressing the meeting, the prime minister expressed his satisfaction at the performance of the CPEC Authority and directed the authorities to take steps to further build its capacity and improve its performance. He said that CPEC was the best project in terms of social and economic development and it would guarantee a bright future for Pakistan. He reiterated his government’s resolve to complete the CPEC project, a symbol of Pakistan-China friendship, at any cost and ensure that benefits of this project reach every Pakistani.

Federal ministers Asad Umar, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Omar Ayub Khan, Special Assistant to PM on Trade Abdul Razak Dawood and CPEC Authority Chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa also attended the meeting.