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• PPP insists opposition leader should have taken them in confidence
ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s statement that Prime Minister Imran Khan skipped Thursday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security because of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif’s warning generated a controversy in the political circles on Friday.
Defending the prime minister against the opposition’s criticism of his absence from the meeting, Mr Chaudhry said in a statement that Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had told the National Assembly Speaker that he would boycott the meeting if Mr Khan attended it.
However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb rejected the minister’s claim, saying Mr Sharif had not sent any message to anyone regarding the meeting.
July 3, 2021
ISLAMABAD: A new issue cropped up between the PTI-led government and the opposition, as the latter questioned the non-participation of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, terming it sheer non-seriousness and indifference.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday termed the briefing a “good starter” and said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s non-participation in the committee meeting had once again proved he prioritised his ego to nation.
Bilawal tweeted that the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was a good start for important engagement on developing situation in Afghanistan and its implications for Pakistan. “Our stance is that the government must implement the 2012 National Security Council resolution,” he demanded.
Foundations for policy
July 3, 2021
In a rare show of parliamentary democracy, military and intelligence leaders gave a briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on issues of national interest. The briefing set out information which can be used by policymakers to devise a cohesive plan for regional security and the welfare of the country in changing times. Curiously, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who would no doubt play a key role in policy affairs, stayed away from the meeting. The divisions between politicians and games being played between them should not stop the country devising a policy that involves all political parties and is upheld unanimously by them, given that it can play a crucial role over the years to come.
A view of the National Assembly. Dawn/File
ISLAMABAD: The military and intelligence leadership took a more nuanced approach at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on the future of ties with the United States than some of the recent government statements.
Some of the parliamentarians who attended the meeting, in their background discussions with
Dawn on Friday, said the military and intelligence leadership emphasised that while ties with China were strong and could not be sacrificed, a healthy relationship with the US would have to be maintained.
The meeting took place on Thursday and continued late into the night. The discussions at the meeting had centered on the emerging regional environment, the strategic challenges faced by the country, and the internal security situation. Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Faiz Hamid gave a presentation at the meeting on these issues.