Top military brass briefs lawmakers on national security issues

The meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PNSC) is underway at the Parliament House, Islamabad under the chair of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Aaj News reported on Monday.

The meeting is being held to brief parliamentarians on national security issues, especially the agreement between the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Maulana Asad Mehmood from JUI-F, and others are present.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed are also present in the briefing.

Opposition MNAs seek copy of govt-TLP agreement

During the meeting, the military leadership said Pakistan is monitoring the developments in the region. They said that the enemy states are trying to gain benefit from the overall situation of the country.

The top military brass stated that they had been reminding the international community not to abandon Afghanistan.

The parliamentarians were briefed that none of the countries have so far accepted the Taliban government and Pakistan will recognise it after recognition by the international community.

The officials said that Daesh is a big threat to Afghanistan and Pakistan is coordinating with the Afghan government to eliminate it.

The military officials also briefed the parliamentarians on the government-TLP agreement. The opposition members criticised the government for keeping the pact secret and not making it public.

Opposition decides to attend PNSC meeting

Earlier, the opposition had decided to attend the PNSC meeting at the Parliament House.

Leader of the PDM in Senate Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar said that the decision to attend the PNSC meeting was made to hear the authorities and government on sensitive issues pertaining to national security and apprise them of the point of view of people at large on subjects the government lacks understanding of.

Govt has not closed doors of negotiations with TLP: Sheikh Rashid

Tarrar had made it clear that the opposition would not give the government any opportunity to misguide the officials and people on sensitive issues.

Govt-TLP reach agreement

Last week, the government and the TLP reached an agreement after deadly clashes between the police and TLP workers.

Announcing the decision, former Ruet-i-Hilal committee chairman Mufti Muneeb said that a steering committee had been formed which will oversee the implementation of the pact. "Ali Muhammad Khan will head the committee," he said.

"I want to tell the nation that these dialogues were not held under any duress. They were held in a serious, responsible, and independent environment, [in which] everyone made their contribution. Everyone deserves to be thanked for it," he said.

"The participants of the agreement entered the accord in the best interest of the country and its people. This agreement was reached before any untoward incident. This is the news for the entire nation, and the national media should portray it in a positive manner."