Ruckus mars in-camera briefing

ISLAMABAD - The in-camera joint session of Parliament that resumed Tuesday with Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza in the chair, was adjourned amid uproar till Wednesday.

Although there has been no official word about Tuesday’s in-camera proceedings, parliamentary sources told TheNation that Information Minister Sherry Rehman briefed the joint sitting on government’s policy about national security and the ongoing war against terror.

Informed sources who spoke on condition of anonymity quoted Sherry Rehman as saying that Pakistan was fighting its own war rather than protecting the US interests.

Sources said that the Information Minister dwelt on the government’s three-pronged strategy on the war against terrorism including dialogue, development and limited use of force.

The Minister said that Pakistan had suffered a huge loss in the war, adding the government was holding talks only with those who laid down their arms.

However, sources were of the view that the Speaker amid uproar adjourned the in-camera sitting after refusing two MPs belonging to the PML-N who sought to discuss something on point of order.

Sources said that soon after the Information Minister made her presentation, all MPs stood up in respect to the national anthem that was played in the House.      

An informed source said that the House saw uproar with all the MPs belonging to the Opposition benches standing up in support of their party colleagues Ayaz Amir MNA and Senator Zafar Iqbal Jhagra who sought to discuss on point of order but were not allowed by the Speaker.