The Parliamentary Committee on National Security has sought a briefing on the reported activities of banned outfits on Facebook, it was learnt Tuesday.

The committee, which met at Parliament House with Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, will convene on June 15 for the briefing.

Explore: Banned outfits in Pakistan operate openly on Facebook

PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaaf (PTI) lawmakers Sherry Rehman and Shah Mehmood Qureshi raised the matter in Tuesday's meeting of the committee, which had been convened to discuss Pakistan's legal strategy regarding Indian spy Kalbhushan Jadhav's on-going case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Talking to reporters, Rehman and Qureshi said they were very surprised to find that banned outfits were operating openly on Facebook.


"We have raised the issue and asked the government to arrange a comprehensive briefing," Qureshi said.


Qureshi said they wanted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to turn up in the next meeting and brief committee members regarding banned outfits' activities online.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also told reporters that the government will brief the parliamentary body on June 15.

He said Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will also brief the participants regarding the Muslim leaders' summit, held recently in Riyadh.

Earlier, the committee was briefed about Pakistan's legal strategy about Indian spy Kalbhushan Jadev's case.

Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf, National Security Advisor Nasir Janjua, Advisor on Foriegn Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Secretary Foriegn Affairs Tehmina Janjua briefed the closed-door meeting.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who heads the parliamentary committee, said Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf will lead Pakistan's legal team, scheduled to leave for The Hague on June 5.

The legal team will meet the president of the ICJ on June 8, Sadiq said.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...