ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military’s top brass, including army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, will today, Thursday, brief the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on the situation in Afghanistan as US troops leave the war-battered country, Pakistani media reported.
The briefing, summoned by national assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, will be off the record and attended by leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and central leaders of other political parties represented in parliament.
Media reported that the main strategic briefing would be given by the spy chief while the army chief would answer lawmakers’ questions. Media has also reported that the briefing is being held after repeated requests from opposition lawmakers.
On Monday, Bhutto-Zardari wrote in a tweet:
“I had demanded on the floor of the house that the Parliament be briefed on the Afghanistan situation by the relevant departments & institutions.”

I had demanded on the floor of the house that the Parliament be briefed on the Afghanistan situation by the relevant departments & institutions. We welcome Speakers decision and will participate in NSC committee meeting on the topic.

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 28, 2021

US President Joe Biden has announced a deadline of September 11 for US troops to fully withdraw from Afghanistan, but recent reports suggest most American troops will leave by mid-July. Pakistan’s political leaders, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, have since expressed concerns over a security vacuum in Afghanistan after the US pullout and its implications for neighboring Pakistan.