The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Islamabad.
IT is rare that the plush hall of the National Assembly echoes with policy talk for hours on end. So it was a welcome sight, according to eyewitnesses, that nearly a hundred top politicians and legislators huddled with the military leadership for nearly eight hours and discussed hard options on Afghanistan.
The briefing by the Director General of the ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed started a little after 3pm on Thursday as his boss, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa looked on. By the time the session, which included Q&A and speeches, ended the clock had already chimed 11pm. The briefing was originally meant for the committee on national security but as its scope enlarged, other political leaders including the provincial chief ministers were invited to attend. The main hall of the National Assembly was converted into a committee room by the orders of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar to accommodate the large number of participants.