On the face of it, PTI chief Imran Khan has conditioned his participation in the proposed APC to firm up national security policy to his exclusive briefing by the Prime Minister and the army chief. He feels "perhaps, the facts cannot be stated in a large open forum... but at the same time it is essential for the political leaders to be apprised of these facts regarding the extent of the commitments still (being) given to the US, as well as the reasons behind the continuing sectarian terrorism". He would also like to know whether the military is on the same page as the civilian leadership "because without this clarity no dialogue or any other kind of agreement on counter-terrorism can proceed successively". Being head of the party that leads the coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which "is bearing the brunt of the terror attacks" Khan's concerns are in order. But is there anything new about the present state of war on terror and who is behind sectarian strife that he and other leaders in and out of parliament don't know? The fact is that political leaders and parliamentarians have received comprehensive briefings by the heads of intelligence agencies and concerned authorities as well as the military leadership. And in light of these briefings quite a few resolutions were passed both by the earlier two APCs and parliament. Obviously, there is a gap between what we as a people would like to do in terms of national security and what can be done given the peculiar situation and circumstances Pakistan is placed in. It appears that the reality of the situation has finally dawned on Imran who had earlier promised to bring down the CIA-operated drone as his first order as the elected prime minister of Pakistan. No wonder, his detractors tend to see his demand for exclusive briefing as an excuse not to be part of the APC, or his hankering for the spotlight the others don't get. Given his more frequent touch with powers-that-be in the West than other political leaders and heads of parties one would presume that he is better informed of the actuality of the factors that he sees so much obstructing the return of peace to the country. To many, he seems to be seeking a special status, above other stakeholders. But that said the fact cannot be denied that his Tehreek-e-Insaf's vote tally in the May 11 general elections was the second highest and thereby in actual terms it is the second most popular party in Pakistan. And it has to be admitted also that KPK administration is in the frontline of anti-terrorism war.
Unfortunately, however, terrorism in Pakistan is not solely restricted to Taliban and their different offshoots. Balochistan is in the firm grip of an insurgency and sectarian strife while Karachi suffers at the hands of terrorists because of a battle for turf, land grabbing and crime mafia. In other words, the APC would have to deal with terrorism as a whole as it manifests itself in the entire country and therefore cannot be just Taliban or Afghanistan centric. So, if Imran Khan wants special briefing by the Prime Minister, COAS General Kayani, his demand carries considerable weight. But, in the eyes of law such an exclusive, in-depth briefing on the security situation and as to who is stoking it from behind the wall, may not be possible. According to law and constitution, his position - he is only head of a political party and a member of the National Assembly - like a number of other political leaders. In case he is granted special briefing then how this can be denied to others in that bracket. Should that briefing he wants takes place and others' claim too is entertained then we would be having something as an APC or the 'large open forum'.
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