Islamabad [Pakistan], March 19 : Pakistan's government has criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not attending the in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which was scheduled amid rising terrorism across the country, Geo News reported.
While speaking on the Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath', Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, "There is a need to rectify flaws in governance, and if PTI sets conditions on this matter, it cannot be called patriotism."
The in-camera meeting was held as Pakistan faces attacks on security forces and law enforcement agencies. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Asim Malik, chief ministers of all four provinces, and other top officials attended the meeting.
The opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP), skipped the meeting, citing the absence of PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail.
In response to a question by Khanzada, Asif raised the question about the divide within PTI, stressing that a significant faction of Imran Khan's party wanted to participate in the meeting.
He further said, "[KP Chief Minister] Ali Amin Gandapur attended the meeting ... he did not show any deception and even endorsed the deliberations held during the meeting."
According to him, the meeting focused on reviving the National Action Plan and its effectiveness, which had diminished over the past four to five years. He emphasised the role of the military in ensuring internal and external security and mentioned that the former should primarily be the police's responsibility.
He said, "No politician demands release or requests to be brought out on parole," adding that PTI remains active in the political arena, despite the legal troubles faced by Imran Khan, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said that Imran Khan was never part of any parliamentary security meeting when he served as Pakistan's PM.
Separately, Imran Khan's lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry said that he had a meeting with the PTI founder in Adiala jail. Chaudhry said Imran Khan called the boycott of the National Security Committee meeting the right decision.
"He questioned what kind of consensus the government hopes to achieve by sidelining the country's largest political party," Chaudhry quoted Imran Khan as saying.
PTI founder said, "Keep me in jail for a lifetime if you must, but I will never bow down to oppression and fascism." He stressed that only political parties can unite the country.
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