All major political parties have decided to have intra-party meetings to evolve a home grown national strategy for tackling the growing militancy, Daily Business Recorder has learnt. Though, the political parties took a long time to reach this decision, still it is considered to be a major step, as these parties will hold intra-parties meeting early this week to draw their future line of action.
The National Assembly, whose present session was extended on the request of the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, will discuss the issue in detail. Swat peace deal and the Taliban advancement to district Buner, prompted the political parties to demand convening All Parties Conference by government on growing threat of Talibanisation of the country.
This is the first time that meetings of the political parties will discuss this crucial issue. The other encouraging signal is that the political leaders have started criticising Taliban publicly at least in the National Assembly and Senate.
In this regard, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would discuss its line of action in its high-level meeting to be called in next couple of days. "This is the need of the hour that all the issues including Balochistan, Swat, Fata and the overall challenges to the national security be resolved through a consensus national policy by all political parties in the parliament," Ahsan Iqbal, PML-N Central Secretary Information said.
PML-N is holding its Central Executive Committee (CEC) in couple of days to discuss the most serious issues like national security to be formulated with consensus of all political parties; he said adding that we are waiting for national policy from all the political parties to discuss the crucial issues. "We want a complete briefing from intelligence agencies on the current situation. We want to know the actual position," he added.
The Prime Minister had urged the parliament to formulate a home-made national policy in line with the recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam are also likely to call such meetings.