ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: A special joint session of parliament will be held at 5pm on Wednesday (Oct 8) during which intelligence and security officials will brief legislators behind closed doors about the ongoing military operation against militants in the tribal region and its link with suicide bombings.

Sources said the meeting had been convened on the urging of a large number of legislators, mainly to discuss the rapidly deteriorating law and order situation, with special reference to suicide bombings.

The late evening move came after an in-depth assessment of the situation during a series of meetings on Saturday morning at the Aiwan-i-Sadr.

The first meeting was held between President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The two focussed on the current crisis in the Fata region, the military operation, and incursions by US forces.

The meeting was followed by a more detailed discussion in which Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Awami National Party chief Asfandayar Wali also took part.

Although the specifics of the issues discussed during these meetings were not revealed, sources at the President’s House said the deliberations led to the decision to convene the joint session.

Top civilian and military leaders also agreed that to take members of parliament into confidence on sensitive information, the session should be held in camera. Both the president and the prime minister have recently reiterated their commitment towards the ongoing security operation against militants in Swat and other tribal areas.

After the Marriot Hotel bombing, the government decided to step up efforts to combat militancy. However, sources said, during Saturday’s meetings it was agreed that there was an urgent need to take the parliamentarians into confidence.

In his previous meetings with civilian leaders, the army chief had asked for a concerted effort to build a consensus on the issue, and to provide full political and moral support to the military in its fight against militants.

It was also suggested that in the absence of such a consensus and support, it would be extremely difficult for the Army to give of its best.

Sources said senior security officials had agreed that they would lay the entire situation before the elected representatives in the hope that they would help evolve a home-grown strategy to deal with terrorism.