Military to brief MPs on security situation on March 18 amid surge in terror attacks

In light of the surge in terror incidents, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has summoned an in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on March 18.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office (PMO) on Sunday, the NA speaker scheduled the closed-door session for Tuesday at 1:30pm on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting will be held at the National Assembly Hall.

The military leadership will provide a comprehensive briefing to the parliamentary committee on the prevailing security situation, the statement added.

The session will be attended by parliamentary leaders of political parties in the National Assembly and the Senate, along with their nominated representatives. Relevant cabinet members will also be in attendance.

The crucial NA meeting has been summoned days after a major terrorist attack on passenger train in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district in Balochistan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share borders with neighbouring Afghanistan, have faced the brunt of the terrorist attacks — with both provinces accounting for over 96% of terrorist attacks and deaths in Pakistan in 2024 as per a Global Terrorism Index 2025 report.

Dozens of militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blew up a railway track and assaulted Jaffar Express on Tuesday, carrying more than 440 passengers — who were taken hostage.

The security forces, after a complex clearance operation, neutralised 33 attackers and rescued the hostage passengers.

Apart from five operational casualties, as many as 26 passengers were martyred by the terrorists, of which 18 were security personnel belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps (FC), three were officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five were civilians.

Also, three FC personnel were martyred in the militants’ attack targeting a picket before the train ambush.

The country has witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks since Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

In January 2025, the terror attacked surged by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.