The Parliamentary Committee on National Security is set to meet on Tuesday morning amid heightened security, where the military leadership will brief lawmakers on the country's security challenges, officials said on Monday.
The National Assembly spokesperson stated that strict security arrangements had been put in place for the in-camera meeting in the National Assembly Hall, which will be attended by the top military leadership.
The opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had earlier announced its participation in the committee's deliberations, but changed its decision late on Monday night and linked their attendance in the session to their meeting with party founder.
The National Assembly speaker convened the Committee meeting on the advice of the prime minister. The Prime Minister Office said on Sunday that the in-camera session would focus on the country's security situation, with top military leadership providing a comprehensive briefing on evolving threats.
For the meeting, strict security arrangements had been put in place, the National Assembly spokesperson said. The in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary committee on National Security is being held at the National Assembly Hall Parliament House on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at 11:00 am, he added.
"Entry for all unauthorised individuals has been banned, and all entry cards, including those issued to the media, will be invalid. All forms of recording, videography, and photography within the premises of Parliament have been prohibited during the meeting," the spokesperson stated.
Meanwhile, the PTI held its Political Committee's meeting late on Monday, after the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain, Pakistan (TTAP) spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai said that alliance had decided not to attend the committee meeting.
According to Express News, the PTI's Political Committee meeting continued till late night. The report quoted sources as saying that the PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was willing to attend the meeting but some other leaders, including Aamir Dogar, suggested consultation with the party founder Imran Khan.
According to the sources, the Express News said, the meeting decided that the party members would not participate in committee meeting until they were allowed to meet with Imran Khan.
Earlier, the PTI had sent the names of its 14 lawmakers to the speaker, who were to participate in the meeting. They included Opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Opposition Leader in Senate Shibli Faraz and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
The other opposition lawmakers who were to attend the committee meeting were Sunni Ittelhad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza; Asad Qaiser, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Dogar, Muhammad Bashir Khan, Sanaullah Mastikhel, Ali Muhammad Khan, Zubair Khan, Ali Zafar, Humayun Mohmand and Aun Abbas.
Speaking at a press conference at the Information Cell of the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram had said that the PTI would attend the meeting because it was related to the national security.
Akram said that terrorist incidents were increasing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the police were combating terrorist attacks. He added that if the federal government was thinking of an operation against terrorists, it should bring the matter to parliament first.
"Terrorism can be fought if the nation stands with the government and the institutions. When terrorists know that the nation is united, they cannot attack," he said, adding: "If an operation against terrorists does not receive the public support, the PTI will not support it."
However, PTI allowed Ali Amin Gandapur to attend the NSC meeting in his capacity as the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
(WITH INPUT FROM OUR PESHAWAR CORRESPONDENT)
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