PM Shehbaz presides over NSC meeting

High level meeting to discuss security situation amid govt-judiciary standoff

ISLAMABAD:

The National Security Committee (NSC), the highest forum to discuss issues of national importance, is meeting today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as the coalition government faces off with the judiciary following the Supreme Court’s (SC) Punjab polls verdict.

The committee is set to review the internal and external situation of law and order in the country.

According to sources, heads of security institutions will give a briefing on national security in the meeting.

As per sources, Minister of Interior Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb are participating in the meeting.

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Chiefs of Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy, as well as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee alongside Sindh and K-P chief ministers are also participating in it.

Earlier, a meeting of parliamentary leaders was held which was attended by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and other leaders including Khalid Maqbool, Aslam Bhutani, Khalid Magsi and Khurram Dastgir.

There has so far been no official word on the high-powered huddle.

However, sources said the meeting would take stock of the “current situation”, particularly after the Supreme Court ruling that directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

On the other hand, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has claimed that the PDM coalition government has called the NSC meeting in an attempt to use national security as a pretext for the postponement of elections.