ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top military brass will brief an in-camera meeting of Pakistani lawmakers on the latest security situation of the country on November 8, the state-run APP news agency reported on Wednesday.
The development comes days after violent protests by an outlawed religious group, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), choked parts of the country, killed at least six policemen and left scores wounded on both sides.
TLP began a protest march last month calling for the release of its incarcerated chief, Saad Rizvi, and the expulsion of France’s ambassador over the publication of caricatures depicting Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in a French satirical magazine last year.
On Sunday, the group reached a deal with the government and ended more than a week of clashes, however, details of the pact have not been shared with the public by either side.
The off-the-record briefing will be attended by members of opposition parties, chief ministers of all provinces, president and prime minister of Azad Kashmir, and members of the NA committee on defense.
“During the meeting, the top military brass will brief about the overall affairs of national security,” the APP news agency reported.
The meeting will be chaired by the NA Speaker at 11am, according to the report.
Over the last two weeks, Pakistan has seen enough turbulence due to protests by the outlawed TLP. Despite an agreement with the group, the government has not shared any details about it and opposition lawmakers are likely to question officials about the pact in the November 8 meeting.
The situation in Afghanistan also remains a key issue. Prime Minister Imran Khan this week underscored the importance of economic assistance by the international community to avert a humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
Military officials are expected to brief lawmakers on the latest situation in the war-torn country, though nothing has been stated about it officially.
In July, Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and spy chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid briefed the parliamentary committee on national security on the situation in Afghanistan as US troops left the war-battered country.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal head Maulana Asad Mehmood, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s Tariq Bashir Cheema, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Khalid Hussain Magsi have also been invited to attend the meeting.