PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has said that it will not attend the crucial in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on law and order unless its leaders are allowed to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.
In a statement issued after a late-night meeting, the party’s political committee insisted that its leaders must meet Khan before attending the crucial National Assembly session today. PTI made it clear that its participation in the meeting was contingent on this demand being met.
The development comes after a multi-party opposition alliance, the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, announced that it would not attend the session.
Later, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal also decided to stay away from the meeting. Another opposition leader, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also announced that the opposition parties would not attend the meeting on national security.
PTI’s Information Secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, confirmed that an emergency meeting of the political committee was held to discuss the party’s stance on the in-camera session. It was unanimously decided that PTI would not attend unless its leaders were granted access to Khan.
However, sources have said that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur will be attending the in-camera session, sans PTI leaders, and will represent his province which has faced the brunt of terrorist attacks.
Gandapur, the sources added, has been briefed on KP’s security situation ahead of the parliamentary huddle.
According to party sources, several core committee members objected to the earlier submission of names for the session on national security. They argued that Chief Whip Aamir Dogar had put forward the list without consulting the party’s political and core committees.
Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had approached the former ruling party, requesting names for the meeting. In response, the party submitted a list of 14 representatives, including Barrister Gohar Khan, Asad Qaiser, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Dogar, Ali Muhammad Khan, Barrister Ali Zafar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
On Monday, Aamir Dogar met with the NA Speaker and insisted that a three-member parliamentary delegation be allowed to meet Imran Khan before the national security session to receive his instructions. Dogar claimed that the Speaker and other ministers had assured him they would facilitate the meeting, but no progress has been made so far.
