Top brass to brief in-camera NA sitting on security today

ISLAMABAD: The top military leadership will brief members of the National Assembly on the security situation prevailing in the country during an in-camera sitting of the lower house of parliament on Friday (today) as lawmakers from the newly-created tribal districts of KP forcefully opposed the government’s decision to launch a fresh military operation, vowing to “resist” such an action in the region.

The announcement of the briefing was first made by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and later by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the floor of the house after three lawmakers from the treasury benches protested last week’s cabinet and National Security Committee decision to launch a military operation against militants in areas bordering Afghanistan.

“Your apprehensions [about the operation] are genuine. You will be heard and responded to with seriousness and [you] will be satisfied. Tomorrow (Friday), the National Assembly will be given an in-camera briefing and the members can ask questions. There will be a healthy interaction [with the military leadership],” said the prime minister.

Responding to the hard-hitting speeches by the MNAs, he said they would not talk anything which would worsen the situation, rather they would make an effort to settle the matters.

Tribal lawmakers vow to resist military action in their areas; PM admits members’ apprehensions are genuine

Before Mr Sharif, Defence Minister and PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif had already endorsed the viewpoints expressed by the MNAs and agreed that those who had facilitated these militants’ rehabilitation in the peaceful tribal areas “should be made accountable”.

The minister alleged that these elements were now supporting PTI and were present in the Zaman Park, the Lahore residence of party chief Imran Khan.

Mr Asif asked the protesting members to speak their mind during the briefing, adding that the “military leadership already has cognisance of the situation”.

He held two former military dictators — Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf — responsible for bringing the menace of terrorism to the country due to their faulty Afghan policy.

This will be the first direct interaction between the parliamentarians and the new military leadership which took the charge in November last year.

Taking floor at the outset of the sitting, Ali Wazir from South Waziristan declared that they would not allow any operation in the territory without “trial and conviction of those serving and retired army generals” who had helped these terrorists resettle in these areas.

Mr Wazir, who spent most of the time behind bars reportedly due to his anti-establishment speeches and actions, recalled that he had raised the matter with Shehbaz Sharif when he was brought from Karachi to attend meetings of the then opposition parties at the time of no-confidence resolution against then prime minister Imran Khan. Mr Sharif, he claimed, in the presence of other allies had assured him that he had “already talked to them” because the Balochs and Muhajirs were also facing the same issues.

The MNA claimed that not only the people and the parliament, but GHQ was also not taken into confidence about the agreements reached with the militants in Afghanistan for their resettlement in Pakistan.

“First of all, arrest those generals and convict them, whether they are within the institution or outside it,” he demanded, adding: “We will not allow operation without holding those accountable who had caused this mess.”

Criticising the country’s Afghan policies, he alleged that Pakistan played a major role in installing the Taliban’s government in Afghanistan even at the cost of disrepute at the international forums.

“I want to give a categorical message. We will not permit any operation. If you will do it, we will be standing there to resist it. If you have courage, then come there,” challenged Mr Wazir, while alleging that the agencies were still active in tribal areas to force political loyalties of people.

Another independent MNA Mohsin Dawar said they had come to know about the decision of military operation through a press release.

The speaker interrupted Mr Dawar when he started accusing former Peshawar corps commander of manoeuvrings in Afghanistan and facilitating the Taliban.

Jamaluddin of JUI-F said that people affected by the past operations and whose houses were demolished had not been provided any help as yet.

“These operations are always against the local population and Taliban are not affected at all. We will be standing there and will not allow any operation,” declared the JUI-F MNA.

Meanwhile, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani protested the exclusion of senators from the security briefing as “inappropriate”.

In a statement, he condemned the move, adding “this step-motherly treatment of the Senate on matters of national security is unacceptable”.