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| India-Pakistan |
| Kayani, ISI to brief joint session of parliament on terrorism |
| 2008-10-06 |
| (PTI) Rattled by a string of audacious suicide bombings across Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has called a joint session of parliament where lawmakers will get a rare briefing by top military and intelligence officials on efforts to take "head-on" the raging militancy. Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today also approved a comprehensive plan to heighten security for the top leadership in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, a key leader of the Pakistan People's Party-led ruling coalition. The two also finalised the agenda for the special in-camera joint session on Wednesday during a meeting at the presidential palace. It was the second meeting between the two leaders since yesterday, when Zardari decided to call the joint session of parliament after talks with the Prime Minister and the army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Kayani, Director General of Military Operations and chiefs of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) and Military Intelligence are expected to take part in the briefing. At the meeting, Zardari and Gilani exchanged views on "matters of national importance, including the prevailing security situation as well as the challenges facing the country", state-run APP news agency reported. TV channels quoted official sources as saying that the government had decided to "tackle the issue of militancy head-on" and wanted to take elected representatives into confidence during the joint session of parliament. |
| Posted by:Fred |