ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has summoned a national security conference for Saturday which contrary to normal practice will also see attendance from parliamentary leaders of various political parties.

Sources say the conference had not been planned and was summoned on an emergency basis to discuss the political scenario prevailing in the country.

The conference is also scheduled to discuss matters relating to the country's internal security and the prime minister is expected to be briefed on the anti-terror war as well as the military operation under way in North Waziristan.

It will be attended by all four chief ministers, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Raheel Sharif as well as Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam.

The conference, which will also be attended by parliamentary leaders of different political parties, comes at a time when the August 14 million march of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Islamabad is only a few days away.

The march is to protest alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections and the PTI chief has demanded nothing short of a resignation by Nawaz Sharif followed by mid-term elections in the country.

The development of a political crisis in the run-up to the march has led many to speculate over how the various organs of the state may approach the scenario.


Imran will not attend national security conference


Imran has decided not to participate in the national security conference scheduled for tomorrow.

PTI will now be represented in the conference by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak.

Opinion

Editorial

Hardening lines
Updated 22 May, 2026

Hardening lines

Iranian suspicions about Pakistan’s close ties with Washington and Gulf states persist, while Pakistan remains uneasy over Tehran’s growing engagement with India.
Unliveable city
22 May, 2026

Unliveable city

IN Karachi, when it comes to water, it is every man and woman for themselves. A persistent shortage in available...
Glof alert
22 May, 2026

Glof alert

FOR many communities in northern Pakistan, the sound of heavy rain now carries a different meaning. It is no longer...
External woes
Updated 21 May, 2026

External woes

Relying indefinitely on remittances to offset structural economic weaknesses is not sustainable.
Political activity
21 May, 2026

Political activity

THE opposition is astir. There is talk of widespread protests this Friday over a list of dissatisfactions with the...
Seizing hope
21 May, 2026

Seizing hope

ISRAEL’S tyranny knows no bounds. After intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla that set sail last week, disturbing...