The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday announced it will not attend an in-camera briefing on the country’s security situation, citing the government’s refusal to allow them to first meet incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security includes the participation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir. During the session, per a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the military leadership will brief lawmakers on the country’s security challenges, particularly the use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.
Earlier, the PTI had announced it would attend the proceedings and submitted the names of 14 lawmakers for its representation, but changed its stance after a meeting of its political committee late on Monday night. In a statement, the party linked its attendance to a meeting with the party founder, with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub urging Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to act as facilitator.
In a press conference on Tuesday morning, the party said it did not support any operation. It also reiterated a call for Khan to be released “on parole,” claiming peace could not be achieved without the participation of the convicted former prime minister. Members of the opposition’s Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain alliance joined in the party in saying they would not participate.
However, the party announced that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would attend the briefing and represent the party. It said he would make clear that the party opposed any operation to rid the country of terrorism.
The in-camera session follows a surge in terrorism across Pakistan, particularly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Last week, terrorists of the Baloch Liberation Army hijacked a train, taking hundreds of passengers hostage and triggering a stand-off that lasted more than a day before concluding with the killing of all attackers. Five security personnel died during the operation, while the terrorists martyred 26 passengers.
In a press conference on the operation, the military’s spokesman said the terrorist incident was supported by India. He further said that the terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan throughout the operation.