Civil-military leadership meets in high-level in-camera security session today

ISLAMABAD, MAR 18 (DNA): The civil-military leadership is set to attend a crucial in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) today (Tuesday) amid rising terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The session, convened by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will be held in the lower house at 11am and will feature a comprehensive briefing to the parliamentary committee on the prevailing security situation by the military leadership.

As per Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and his team, including Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and others will attend the meeting and one of the team’s members would brief the lawmakers.

The high-level huddle comes days after last week’s harrowing attack by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants who blew up train tracks and held over 440 passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security services in a remote mountain pass in the Bolan district.

The military, after clearing the train and rescuing hostages, said it killed 33 attackers. Before the operation began, terrorists had martyred 26 passengers, while four security personnel were martyred during the operation.

The martyred train passengers included 18 security personnel from the army and the FC, three officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments and five civilians.

The closed-door meeting is also to be taken in the context of alarming statistics revealed in the Global Terrorism Index 2025 report which places Pakistan as the second-most affected country by terrorism.

The country, — placed at the second spot from its previously fourth position — witnessed an alarming 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths with the total rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024 — one of the steepest surges globally.

The number of terror attacks more than doubled from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024, which also marked the first year that attacks exceeded the 1,000 mark since the inception of the Index.

Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain the most heavily affected provinces — which also share a border with neighbouring Afghanistan — accounted for over 96% of terrorist attacks and deaths in Pakistan in 2024.

Political divide persists

The all-important meeting will be taking place against the backdrop of prevailing political polarisation as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has as announced that it will skip the in-camera session if its leaders are not 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 their demand being met.

The PTI’s stance comes a day after the multi-party opposition alliance, Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced their decision to boycott the session. Additionally, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas announced that their parties will not attend the meeting either. 

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.