PESHAWAR, March 18 (Alliance News): The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it will boycott the in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) unless its leaders are granted permission to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.
In a statement issued after a late-night meeting, the party’s political committee emphasized that attending the crucial National Assembly session was contingent on meeting Khan first.
The decision follows similar boycotts by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM).
PTI’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed that an emergency political committee meeting was held, where it was unanimously decided to skip the session if access to Khan was denied.
However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is expected to attend to represent his province, which has suffered multiple terrorist attacks.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had earlier requested PTI to submit names for the session.
PTI nominated 14 representatives, including Barrister Gohar Khan, Asad Qaiser, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Dogar, Ali Muhammad Khan, Barrister Ali Zafar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza. Aamir Dogar later demanded that a three-member PTI delegation be allowed to meet Khan before the session, but no such meeting occurred.
The in-camera session, scheduled for Tuesday at 11 AM, will focus on the national security situation, with civil and military leadership discussing strategies to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a proxy state.
The meeting follows recent terrorist attacks, including the BLA-led assault on Jaffar Express in Balochistan, which resulted in 26 civilian and security personnel deaths before forces neutralized 33 militants.
