In-camera session

INFORMATION has to be shared with members of the both Houses of Parliament on all vital aspects of the War on Terror when they meet on Wednesday in the first ever in-camera session in the country's parliamentary history. This is required to enable them to help formulate a national policy, which is both realistic and homegrown. The security agencies need to brief the parliamentarians at length how they explain the phenomenal rise in suicide bombings and terrorist attacks inside the country over the last twelve months, the elements they consider to be behind these actions and the measures they have taken to deal with them so far. This has to be an exhaustive and convincing exercise on the part of the agencies, which are widely accused of negligence at home, and of connivance abroad. Similarly, the Army has to explain why the operations in the tribal areas were in the first place needed, how long they will take to conclude, what is being done to reduce the civilian casualties, and to win the hearts and minds of the people. The government too has to clarify a number of issues to redeem its credibility. If General (retd) Musharraf had brokered any agreement with the US allowing it to launch aerial attacks in the tribal areas, this should be brought before Parliament.