In-camera briefing on regional situation underway at PM House

2026-03-04 - 09:43

The leaders of parliamentary parties, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are currently being given an in-camera briefing on the regional situation. PM Shehbaz had invited parliamentary leaders and party heads to “sit down and develop a course of action so we can move forward”, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Tuesday while addressing the National Assembly. While the minister requested both sides of the aisle to “sit together for Pakistan and for the security of the wider region”, the PTI decided not to attend any meeting unless a meeting with its founder, Imran Khan, was arranged. The briefing, which began shortly after 11:30am, was expected to discuss the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab lil-Haq’ against terrorist hideouts and the Middle East conflict. “The prime minister will take the leaders into confidence about the Pakistan-Afghanistan situation and the ongoing hostilities in the region, particularly in the Middle East and the Gulf,” read a statement from the PM Office. “The parliamentary leaders will also be given a detailed briefing during the meeting,” the statement said. It added that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in the current conflict will also be highlighted. The PTI’s decision to skip the briefing was made during the meeting of the party’s political committee on Tuesday. Special Assistant to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had met Mehmood Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas, leaders of the opposition in the NA and Senate, respectively, to invite them to the briefing. However, the party’s political committee decided to skip the briefing. Party leaders attending the briefing include PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F), Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Abdul Aleem Khan from Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), Khalid Hussain Magsi from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and PML-Q’s Chaudhry Salik Hussain. Senators participating in the meeting include PPP’s Sherry Rehman, BAP’s Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, PML-N’s Pervaiz Rasheed, MQM-P’s Faisal Subzwari, National Party’s (NP) Jan Muhammad, Anwarul Haq Kakar and Hafiz Abdul Kareem. MNAs part of the briefing include PPP’s Naveed Qamar, MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar and Aminul Haque, as well as NP’s Pullain Baloch. Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan Nasar and Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah are also present in the meeting. Cabinet members attending it include Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, and Public Affairs Minister Rana Mubashir Iqbal. PM’s political adviser Sanaullah and Special Assistant to PM on Political Affairs Talha Burki are attending as well. More to follow