An in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) has been started at Parliament House while the prime minister has directed all the participants to refrain from leaking any details of the military briefing, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is presiding over the meeting in which military leadership will give briefing on the national security issues, including talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

While addressing the security conclave, the premier welcomed the meeting attendees. He said that today’s session was very important but at the same time directed the participants to keep the details of the briefing to their chests. 

While explaining the procedure of the huddle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that first the military would give briefing to the participants, then it would take questions. 

Ahead of the meeting, the military leadership met with PM Shehbaz at Presidential Chamber in Parliament House and exchanged views on the affairs of national and interior security of the country. They also discussed agenda of today’s briefing. 

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was supposed to chair the PCNS meeting but he has gone to Dubai for his eyes treatment. Now PM Shehbaz is chairing the huddle in his capacity as a member of the parliamentary committee. 

The National Assembly secretariat has stated earlier that a complete ban on the entry of irrelevant persons in the Parliament House has been enforced. 

The secretariat on Monday issued a notice and the agenda for the meeting. The meeting will be attended by 125 people. There are four unelected politicians and 13 top government officials among those who have been invited to attend the meeting. 

The list of 62 “special invitees” includes JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, JI Amir Sirajul Haq, PkMAP Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and NP president Dr Abdul Malik Baloch despite the fact that they are not the members of parliament. 

As many as 108 MNAs and senators have been invited to attend the briefing. The four provincial chief ministers, the president and prime minister of AJK, the GB chief minister and former ambassador Muhammad Sadiq are also among the “special invitees”.

Sources informed that the committee which is holding negotiations with the TTP is also participating in the meeting. 

Reporter Usman Khan