A high-stakes in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security decided to deal with terrorist groups with an "iron hand" after a sharp surge in militant attacks was witnessed across the country.
On the suggestion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq called the in-camera session in the lower house. The session witnessed attendance from senior government and military top brass, such as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, DG ISI Lt Gen Asim Malik, and chief ministers of all four provinces.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, and members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are among the top figures who failed to attend the high-level session.
The high-level huddle comes days after last week's harrowing attack by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants, who blew up train tracks and held over 440 passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security services in a remote mountain pass in the Bolan district.
In response, security forces launched a swift operation to rescue over 440 hostages as well as eliminate 33 terrorists. The attack, indeed one of the deadliest in recent years, adds depth and focus to the growing threat of militancy, particularly within Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which continue to bear the brunt of terrorist activities.
Adding to these worries, the Global Terrorism Index 2025 confirmed that Pakistan is now the world's second-most impacted nation by terrorism, surpassing its erstwhile fourth place. The report revealed that 1,081 fatalities related to terrorism were recorded in 2024, a whopping 45% increase from 2023.
The number of attacks more than doubled, surging from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024—the first time since the index's inception that attacks have exceeded the 1,000 mark. Alarmingly, 96% of these attacks were concentrated in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both bordering Afghanistan, raising concerns over cross-border militant infiltration.
Speaking at the meeting, PM Shehbaz Sharif termed terrorism a "scourge that must be eradicated", asserting that Pakistan will not allow militants to destabilise the country.
He paid tribute to the martyrs, saying that their sacrifices "will not go in vain". The military leadership apprised the lawmakers of the emerging security situation, saying that no militant outfit would be allowed to challenge the writ of the state.
Though the gathering was intended to create a consolidated national position against terrorism, opposition parties boycotted the session, leading to further political polarisation. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that no PTI representative would go to the meeting, as the government had declined to arrange a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, who is still incarcerated in Adiala Jail.
The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance, led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, refused to participate. They labelled the government "unconstitutional" and asked the government to summon a joint parliamentary session instead.
Addressing newsmen, TTAP chief Achakzai said Pakistan was going through "one of the most dangerous phases in its history." Claiming that the general elections of February 2024 had been rigged, he said that the ones involved in electoral fraud now decide issues related to national security.
He further lambasted the ban on the leaders of the PTI from meeting the inmate leader by terming it a blatant denial of democratic rights.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, strongly condemned the no-show of the opposition. "The opposition leader and his party should have attended this crucial meeting," he said. He called the boycott "a betrayal of parliamentary responsibility".
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