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National security briefings to parliamentarians begin today

* Parameters given to Defence, Interior, Foreign ministries, ISI

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The parliament's special committee on national security on Tuesday gave broad parameters to the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), and the Defence, Foreign and Interior ministries for comprehensive briefings to the committee today (Wednesday).

The 17-member committee met behind closed doors at the Parliament House with Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Minister Mian Raza Rabbani in chair.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Rabbani said Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Adviser Rehman Malik and ISI Director General Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha would brief the committee on the situation on Pakistan’s western borders on Wednesday.

He said Qureshi could not attend Tuesday’s meeting because of other engagements linked to last week’s terror attacks in Mumbai.

Rabbani said regular briefings would begin in a marathon session scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

"We have to cut short our meeting today due to the national security conference convened by the prime minister. Most of the members have to go there," he added.

The foreign minister would participate in today’s meeting, he said, which would continue on Thursday if the members desired.

Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan also did not attend the meeting.

To a question, Rabbani said the committee was not mandated to discuss the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. Terms of reference of the special committee were very clear, he said, adding “the committee would oversee the implementation of the unanimous resolution that was passed by the in-camera joint session of parliament on national security”.

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