PESHAWAR: The meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (NSC) has started under the chairmanship of Speaker Asad Qaiser.
The military officials are briefing the parliamentary leaders on the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s role and its impact on country, as well as internal and external security issues. Participants will be briefed on negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TLP).
Apart from committee members, the meeting was attended by all parliamentary leaders, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, provincial chief ministers, government and opposition members of parliament. A total of 78 lawmakers and Chief Ministers of the four provinces were invited to attend the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is also attending the meeting. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Parliamentary Affairs Advisor Babar Awan, Minister of State Ali Muhammad Khan and Brigadier R Ijaz Shah are also attending.
Advisors on National Security, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Defense and Federal Secretaries of Kashmir Affairs are also attending the meeting.
The heads of national security agencies will also answer questions from public representatives. Strict security measures have been taken on the occasion of the meeting and the entry of media in the Parliament House has also been closed. Earlier in July, a meeting of the parliamentary national security committee was held in which the army chief and DG ISI briefed the parliamentary leadership.
Last Friday, sources in Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Information said that talks had begun between the government and the banned TTP and that the two sides had agreed on a ceasefire during the talks. According to sources in the Ministry of Information, the interim government of Afghanistan is playing the role of facilitator during the talks.