Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday informed the lawmakers that the Parliament would be briefed on April 14 in-camera on the matters of national security.
The Prime Minister said this in response to a point raised by a parliamentarian from the Waziristan tribal region, days after the National Security Committee decided to launch a fresh operation to rid the country of militancy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the parliamentarians would also be able to put questions on the relevant subject and the reservations of lawmakers from the tribal region would be listened to and responded positively to satisfy his concerns.
“This will be a healthy interaction,” the prime minister said.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also speaking on the floor of the National Assembly said that the military leadership would brief parliament regarding the state’s policy on countering militancy, stating that the security establishment was cognisant of the prevailing situation.
Earlier, Ali Wazir from the tribal region said that the country’s current policy regarding militancy needed to be reviewed.
“I appeal to the incumbent government that those responsible for the rise in terrorism (…) those who brought these militants into Pakistan should be punished,” he said.
“Until and unless these people are punished, we won’t allow the new operation to commence,” he said.
Another tribal lawmaker, Mohsin Dawar, said that operations were conducted in the past but none of them was successful in eliminating terrorism. “This is because you are confused. There is no clarity in your policy. You send mixed signals,” he said.
The Pakistan tribal region lies along the volatile Afghan border and it has been badly hit due to fighting between the security forces and militants. The tribal people and their representatives are apprehensive that any new operation would catch them in the crossfire.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)