Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking at the opening ceremony of Indus AI week in Islamabad. PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government on Wednesday told political and parliamentary leaders that Pakistan will avoid getting directly embroiled in the ongoing Iran and US-Israel conflict, while pursuing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation.
The assurance came during a closed-door briefing organised for the heads of political parties and parliamentary leaders at the Prime Minister’s House.
Chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the briefing was attended by representatives of the PPP, MQM-P, JUI-F, BAP, and others.
Key attendees included PPP Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. PML-N’s Pervaiz Rasheed, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar.
Other party leaders included Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Faisal Subzwari, farooq sattar, Abdul Aleem Khan from Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP), Khalid Hussain Magsi from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and PML-Q’s Chaudhry Salik Hussain. BAP’s Manzoor Ahmed Kakar.
However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and parties part of the grand opposition alliance stayed away from the in-camera briefing, drawing a strong reaction from Prime Minister Sharif, who said the PTI often prioritises politics over national interests.
Since the briefing was in-camera, few details were available about what transpired behind closed doors. One insider told The Express Tribune that the session was primarily led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who gave an overview of the current Iran situation as well as tensions brewing between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to the PM Office statement, the session, which lasted over two hours, delved into the volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan border dynamics, including updates on Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, the ongoing military campaign launched in late February against terrorist hideouts in tribal areas and along the Durand Line in response to cross-border attacks and incursions by Afghan Taliban-linked groups.
Discussions also covered escalating hostilities in Iran, the broader Middle East, and the Gulf region amid fears of wider conflict following strikes and counterstrikes.
The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach, including high-level contacts with regional and Middle Eastern leaders to advocate for de-escalation and preserve stability.
Post-briefing, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar emphasized the government’s commitment to ongoing consultations, describing dialogue as the way forward and stressing that politics should not interfere in matters of sovereignty and security.
He noted outreach by senior leaders Rana Sanaullah and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to secure opposition participation, underscoring the need for a unified national voice on issues with international implications.
Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, took to X with a pointed critique: “In view of national security and the current grave situation in the region, a highly important security briefing was held today at the Prime Minister’s House, in which the country’s defense and security institutions informed the political leadership about the changing regional situation, the threats at hand, and Pakistan’s strategy. Unfortunately, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and some opposition parties, by not attending, once again proved that their own politics and personal agenda are more important to them than national interest. At a time when the country needs unity, seriousness, and responsibility, the opposition’s absence from such an important forum is extremely irresponsible. There is no room for politics on matters of national security; what is needed is unity. The nation is clearly seeing who stands with the state and who is merely busy polishing their politics.”
The opposition defended its boycott of the in-camera briefing. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party took national security seriously but objected to the format of the meeting.
“At a time when there are major challenges – including developments in Afghanistan and tensions involving Iran – we believed such matters should have been discussed in parliament, preferably through a joint session of both houses. Our voice and humanitarian concerns must be respected; otherwise, attendance becomes meaningless,” he said.
PkMAP leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, argued for broader parliamentary involvement rather than selective invitations, while affirming willingness to engage if discussions originated in parliament.
Wednesday’s session built directly on Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s Senate address the previous day, in which he condemned the “sudden” and “unwarranted” US-Israel strikes on Iran as a dangerous escalation.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to facilitate US-Iran talks, potentially in Islamabad, highlighted recent shuttle diplomacy and backchannel contacts.
The in-camera briefing was part of efforts by the government to take all the political parties into confidence with an aim to evolve a consensus in view of the host of challenges. But the absence of PTI dented those efforts.
