Joint sitting to thoroughly debate regional tensions
• At security huddle, lawmakers say Pakistan should remain neutral in Iran war
• Bilawal terms US-Israeli strikes ‘attack on Muslim comity’
• Some, including Fazl, favour talks with Kabul; others back military action
• PM urged to take opposition into confidence, despite PTI’s absence from briefing
• Rana Sana says leadership trying to convince Iran not to attack Gulf countries
ISLAMABAD: An in-camera session chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the tense situation in Iran and Afghanistan appeared to have agreed on the need for a joint session of parliament for a threadbare debate on these conflicts, which have imperilled regional security.
The huddle attended by parliamentary parties, except for the PTI, expressed grave concerns over cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan and the situation in the Gulf region following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.
A statement issued by the PM Office said that the meeting was briefed regarding the Pakistan-Afghanistan situation, the hostilities in the Middle East and Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to push for peace. The participants underscored the need for national unity, consensus and unanimity in the current circumstances, it said.
The meeting continued from 11:45am to 2:30pm, and the huddle was briefed by the foreign secretary on the Iran war. The secretary apprised the participants about the impact of the US-Iran war on Pakistan and its diplomatic overtures to reduce tensions.
Sources told Dawn that the heads of the parliamentary parties called for a joint sitting of parliament on these matters and suggested a series of measures to push for a ceasefire. According to the participants, delegations of parliamentary parties should be sent to Iran, the US, and the Gulf states to defuse prevailing tensions in the region.
Some lawmakers said that Pakistan should remain neutral in the Iran war, while PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed the Iran strikes an attack on the “entire Muslim ummah”.
Insiders quoted Mr Bhutto-Zardari as saying that the aggression against Iran could not be justified by any means. “If today Iran is under attack, other Muslim states, including Pakistan, could also be targeted,” he was quoted as saying.
Even though the opposition skipped the session despite an invitation, some parties suggested the prime minister take the PTI into confidence about the US-Israel and Iran war and the Afghanistan attacks.
Afghanistan terrorism
Besides Iran, another highlight of the session was Pakistan’s border clashes with Afghanistan. Some participants suggested talks with Kabul, while others backed military action against the Taliban interim government for its support of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to a source, Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged the government to talk to Afghanistan to stop cross-border terrorism.
The JUI-F chief urged the government to engage the Afghan regime in talks so that cross-border attacks from Afghanistan could be stopped.
Others, however, insisted that the Afghan government had already been requested to rein in terrorist groups, but the request fell on deaf ears.
They were of the view that Pakistan should continue operations along the border areas against infiltrators and terrorists.
Diplomacy
After the meeting, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah told Geo News that Pakistan’s efforts on the diplomatic front were that “this war imposed on Iran ends in some kind of agreement or understanding”.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia and Iran were in direct contact with each other or if Islamabad was acting as a mediator, he stated: “Pakistan is doing this work of communication.”
He pointed out that the political and military leaderships have made contact regarding the ongoing hostilities, and it was also stated in the briefing that they were trying to convince Iran not to attack Gulf countries.
Mr Sanaullah noted that if attacks on Gulf countries stop and “those countries also add their weight that this war should end”, then there would be greater chances of an agreement to end the hostilities. Responding to a question, he said the political and military leaderships were engaged in communication to “resolve misunderstandings” and halt retaliatory attacks from Iran directed towards Gulf countries.
Speaking about the opposition’s decision to skip the important briefing, Mr Sanaullah expressed disappointment at the opposition’s “attitude of isolation”, adding that the PTI did not believe in dialogue. He recalled that he and the parliamentary affairs minister met NA Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan in the opposition’s chamber yesterday to invite them.
“I requested them that this is a national issue… we should sit together and you should give your opinion and contribute,” he quoted himself as telling Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
The PM’s adviser said the PTI’s meeting with Imran was “not possible today, but in the future, in fact, we also told them that if you would contribute sincerely towards a national issue, then there could also be ease in the rest of the things”.
“If they had come and played their national role … they could have also touched upon that topic,” he added.
Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2026
