ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Faiz Hamid on Monday satisfied the political leaders regarding the national and regional situation.

In a meeting of the on National Security Committee here, Gen Bajwa gave satisfactory answers to the questions from the parliamentarians representing various countries.

PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the in camera meeting of the national security committee of the parliament. The parliamentarians were briefed regarding national security issues.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that as far as the policy about Afghanistan, negotiations with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or the agreement with the Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan were concerned, these could not be unilateral decisions.

“Without the approval of the parliament, Senate and the national assembly, no policy can be chalked out about them. Any policy without the approval of the parliament will have no legitimacy,” he said.

Bilawal said that the statements made by the president, prime minister and foreign minister about the negotiations with the TTP were criticised by him before, and will continue to be criticized since no one was taken on board and no consensus was developed in this regard.

“Who are they to decide on begging the TTP for talks and unilaterally engage the TTP which martyred our soldiers, national leadership and the children of APS? A policy approved by the parliament will be a better policy with legitimacy,” Bilawal said.

He also said that the entire opposition is united against the government on the issue of price hike. Since the agreement with the IMF, people are crushed under price-hike.

The attempts of the government to steal the votes through electronic voting machines and political victimisation through the NAB ordinance are apparent. We will raise a joint voice for the people in the parliament and will defeat the conspiracy of rigging in elections and political victimisation.

Later, Bilawal along with other PPP leaders attended a meeting of combined opposition at the opposition leader’s chamber in the National Assembly.

Speaking to journalists about the NSC meeting, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the parliamentarians were given satisfactory answers by the military leadership. He said the MPs asked many questions and all the national and regional issues were discussed. “Overall the meeting was held in a very good atmosphere,” he added.