The precarious security situation in Afghanistan and its dangerous ramifications for Pakistan led the security establishment to hold a high-level briefing for over 40 important parliamentarians under the aegis of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Parliamentarians are usually taken into confidence only when polices formulated by the establishment lead to a cul de sac. Pakistan is in a pretty pickle these days. While the Afghan government never trusted Pakistan, now the Taliban too are unwilling to heed its advice. The USA is reportedly behind the FATF decision to prolong Pakistan’s stay in the gray list. The sword of the IMF meanwhile continues to hang over Pakistan’s head. Whether Pakistan will be able to retain its GSP-Plus status is anybody’s guess. As a warning shot, the USA has included Pakistan in the child soldier recruiter list, a designation that could lead to strict sanctions on military assistance.
The parliamentarians tried to seek all the “sensitive” information they needed from the security establishment. Politicians frequently claim that the establishment encroaches upon the elected governments’ turf and makes policies that harm the country. It is now for the political leaders to step up to the plate. A PML(N) leader who attended the briefing has asked the government to call a joint session of Parliament to prepare a national response to the situation.
There are several challenges the country is facing. Proxies, the meeting was told, were being triggered by external forces as was evident from the increase in terrorism in Balochistan and last week’s explosion in Lahore.
With a civil war raging in Afghanistan, there would be an inevitable influx of refugees into Pakistan. This has caused complicated problems in the past. This time there is a likelihood of individuals belonging to terrorist groups sneaking into Pakistan pretending to be refugees.
It was maintained during the briefing that Pakistan’s territory was not being used in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Hopes were expressed that Afghanistan too would not let its soil to be used against Pakistan. Neither the Afghan Taliban, nor the Afghan government, showed interest in taking out or reining in these networks in the past. There is little likelihood of their obliging Pakistan now. The complicated problems can only be dealt with through collective brainstorming in Parliament.
