The country’s security establishment will today (Friday) brief a joint in-camera session of parliament on the Abbottabad incident and the post operation situation in totality.
A source told Pakistan Today that the government had formally invited PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to the in-camera briefing but he had refused it, calling the sitting an ‘eye-wash’. The source said the PML-N chief said only a judicial commission could probe the matter. The source said the chief ministers of the four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, the army chief, the air chief and the naval chief had confirmed their presence in the exclusive sitting.
According to the rules, a non-parliamentarian could be invited to attend a special parliamentary session with the permission of the House. When contacted, PML-N spokesman Asim Khan confirmed that the PM’s principal secretary had contacted Nawaz and conveyed the invitation to attend the briefing. According to Khan, the PML-N leader said there was no reason for him to attend the joint session as his party MPs would be representing him in the briefing.
“Army chief Ashfaq Kayani would most likely brief the sitting on the US SEALs operation in Abbottabad while ISI chief General Shuja Pasha would also brief the sitting on the ISI’s role in national security issues. Other officials concerned would also brief the joint session,” added the source. Another source said the government was facing a technical and procedural lacuna as neither National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza nor Senate Chairman Farooq Naik would attend today’s joint sitting.
“Dr Fehmida Mirza is in the US for personal reasons while Farooq Naik is performing his duties as acting president in the absence of President Asif Zardari who is on a visit to Russia. Under the given situation, acting speaker Faisal Karim Kundi would have to preside over the session while acting Senate chairman Jan Mohammed Jamali would also be present. However, since neither the NA speaker nor the Senate chairman is present, the joint sitting of parliament cannot be held under law,” said the source.
The source said in order to settle the procedural flaw, the business advisory committee would meet prior to the sitting and a joint strategy would be evolved to settle the row.
