Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today (Tuesday) to discuss security and border issues among other affairs, sources said Monday.
Sources added the meeting is also likely to discuss the matter of a controversial book co-authored by former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen (r) Asad Durrani, besides reviewing implementation of FATA Reforms.
The top civilian and military leadership will ponder over the regional situation and issues pertaining to eastern and western borders of the country, they said.
Durrani, who served as the chief of Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency from August 1990 till March 1992, has co-authored a book with former Indian spy chief AS Dulat, titled ‘The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace’.
The meeting is summoned days after former premier Nawaz Sharif voiced his reservations over the book.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad last week, Sharif demanded that an emergency meeting of the NSC be summoned over the book written by Durrani.
The former premier said a trustworthy national commission should be constituted to look over such matters.
Sharif’s demand followed an earlier meeting of the NSC, which was called to discuss a controversial statement by the former premier on the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Sharif’s remarks were played up by the Indian media as an admission of Pakistan’s involvement in the terrorist attacks, even though similar questions and statements have been raised from civilian and security officials in Pakistan earlier. The NSC had then categorically dismissed Sharif’s statement and unanimously termed it “incorrect and misleading.”
Published in Daily Times, May 29th 2018.
