ISLAMABAD – Top civil and military leaders gathered on Tuesday for a vital in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. The session comes amid a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, convened the meeting on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The session is being held in the lower house of Parliament.
Military leadership is giving a detailed briefing to lawmakers on the current national security situation. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir is attending the meeting along with his team. Among them is Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. One team member is presenting a comprehensive report to the committee.
The urgent meeting follows a brutal attack last week by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Militants destroyed railway tracks and took over 440 passengers hostage in the Bolan district. The standoff with security forces lasted for hours in a remote mountain region.
Security forces rescued the passengers and cleared the train. During the operation, 33 militants were killed. However, 26 passengers had already been martyred before the operation started. Four security personnel also embraced martyrdom in the rescue mission.
The victims included 18 soldiers from the army and Frontier Corps, three officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five civilians.
The closed-door session is also being held in light of recent figures from the Global Terrorism Index 2025. Pakistan is now ranked as the second-most affected country by terrorism.
The country moved from fourth to second position. Terror-related deaths rose by 45% — from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024. It is one of the biggest increases globally. The total number of terror attacks more than doubled — from 517 to 1,099. For the first time since the index began, attacks crossed the 1,000 mark.
Balochistan and KP, which share a border with Afghanistan, suffered the most. These two provinces accounted for over 96% of terrorist incidents and deaths in 2024. The national security crisis in these regions continues to grow.
Political Divisions Overshadow National Security Talks
The high-stakes meeting is taking place amid ongoing political tensions. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has refused to attend the national security session. The party demanded that its leaders be allowed to meet PTI founder Imran Khan, who remains in Adiala Jail.
PTI’s Secretary General, Salman Akram Raja, announced the decision at a press conference in Islamabad. He said the decision was taken during a political committee meeting. No PTI members will attend the session, except for KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. He is present as a representative of his province.
PTI’s boycott comes a day after the multi-party opposition alliance, Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, also announced a boycott.
Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also declared that their parties would not attend.
Speaking to the media, TTAP head Achakzai said Pakistan is facing a grave crisis. He claimed a winning party was forced to lose in the elections. He accused those responsible for the fraud of violating their oath to uphold the Constitution.
Achakzai demanded a joint parliamentary session lasting two days. He said all lawmakers should be briefed on national security. He condemned the restrictions on meeting the PTI founder and held prison officials responsible. He argued that they must either declare Imran Khan a threat or allow access to him.
He further stated his party cannot accept an invitation from what he called an “unconstitutional prime minister.” Achakzai insisted that national security discussions should include all political parties, including PTI’s founder. He said Jamaat-e-Islami must also be part of such meetings.
Meanwhile, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza said his party first demanded the in-camera meeting. Representatives’ names were submitted a day earlier. However, their political committee later decided to stay away. He stressed that Imran Khan must be included in national security dialogues, or public support cannot be achieved.
He also stated that negotiations are better than military operations and should be prioritized.
