In-camera briefing on regional situation underway at PM House – Pakistan

Leaders of parliamentary parties, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are currently being briefed behind closed doors on the regional situation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz had invited parliamentary leaders and party chiefs to “sit down and develop a course of action so that we can move forward”, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said while addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday.

While the minister asked both parties to “sit together for Pakistan and the security of the region at large”, the PTI decided not to attend any meeting unless a meeting was arranged with its founder Imran Khan.

The briefing, which began shortly after 11:30 am, was expected to discuss the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab lil-Haq’ against terrorist hideouts and the Middle East conflict.

“The Prime Minister will reassure leaders about the situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the ongoing hostilities in the region, particularly in the Middle East and the Gulf,” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Parliamentary leaders will also receive a detailed briefing during the meeting,” the statement said. He added that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in the current conflict will also be highlighted.

The PTI’s decision to skip the briefing was taken during the party’s political committee meeting on Tuesday.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah met Mehmood Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas, opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate respectively, to invite them to the briefing.

However, the party’s political committee decided to skip the briefing.

Party leaders who attended the briefing include PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F), Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Abdul Aleem Khan of Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), Khalid Hussain Magsi of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Chaudhry Salik Hussain of PML-Q.

Senators participating in the meeting include Sherry Rehman of PPP, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar of BAP, Pervaiz Rasheed of PML-N, Faisal Subzwari of MQM-P, Jan Muhammad of National Party (NP), Anwarul Haq Kakar and Hafiz Abdul Kareem.

The MNAs who participated in the briefing include PPP’s Naveed Qamar, MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar and Aminul Haque, as well as NP’s Pullain Baloch.

Senate President Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan Nasar and Vice President Ghulam Mustafa Shah are also present in the meeting.

Cabinet members attending include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and Public Affairs Minister Rana Mubashir Iqbal.

Also attending will be the Prime Minister’s Political Advisor, Sanaullah, and the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Affairs, Talha Burki.

More to follow