Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to attend National Security Committee meeting on Afghanistan

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that he will be attending the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on Afghanistan after welcoming National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser's decision to call a meeting of the body.

Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said that he had demanded on the National Assembly for a briefing for the Parliament on the situation in Afghanistan by the relevant departments and institutions.

"We welcome speakers decision and will participate in NSC committee meeting on the topic," said the PPP chairperson.

Later, while speaking to the media outside the parliament, Bilawal claimed that the speaker had summoned a meeting of the NSC on his party’s recommendation.

The PPP chairman also said that he does not consider PM Imran Khan’s comments on giving military bases to the US after the withdrawal of NATO troops.

“We will keep our point of view over giving military bases in the NSC committee,” said Bilawal. He also claimed that the NSC was formed on the recommendation of the PPP.  

MPs to get in-camera briefing on national security

Earlier today, it was reported that a session of the National Assembly's National Security Committee has been summoned for a briefing on the latest situation and regional issues amid the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

NA Speaker Asad Qaiser will chair the in-camera meeting convening on July 1 at 3pm.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak will also be part of the proceedings.

Issues related to national security will be on the agenda. Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and other lawmakers were also invited.

The meeting will also discuss the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, federal ministers and parliamentarians have been specially invited for the briefing.

Pakistan has, on multiple occasions, raised the issue of peaceful settlement of the Afghan imbroglio and has urged all the groups to sit and sort out their differences.

PM Imran Khan, in his interaction with the US media, pointed out that there’s no military solution and that there’s no favourite for Pakistan.

Violence has increased in the war-torn country since the foreign troops' withdrawal started.

In a recent interview, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf also expressed concern on the current Afghanistan situation, saying that "it is not good".