A joint session of Parliament has been summoned today (Thursday) to send a strong message to New Delhi that the nation is united in the face of Indian aggression.
The joint session of Parliament will be held at 3pm.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan will table the motion to discuss the prevailing external threats.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Wednesday gave an in-camera briefing to parliamentary leaders on Indian aggression and Pakistan's response to it.
The briefing, held at the Parliament House in Islamabad, also had Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in presence.
Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari attended the session along with party delegations.
"A special meeting of parliamentary leaders was convened at Parliament House today to brief national leadership on the ongoing security situation. The parliamentarians were briefed by FM (foreign minister), followed by DG ISPR," read a press statement issued after the session. "COAS also interacted with the forum after the brief."
It said the participants unanimously expressed that they stand united against any aggression against Pakistan and will support the government and its institutions unconditionally.
"They also expressed hope that those who want peace and stability will prevail, as war is not an option but a failure of policy," the statement said. "National leaders of all political parties offered their services for the cause of peace and progress."
In the end, the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker thanked the leadership for their unequivocal support at the moment of crisis, the statement added.
A day earlier, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace and took a pilot in custody.
Addressing the nation after the incident, Prime Minister Imran Khan once again invited India for talks and urged better sense should prevail.
"I want to now address India and say let sanity prevail. Let’s think sensibly. All wars in the world have been started on miscalculations on the time and the human cost of war. This was the same with the First World War, with the Second World War, the war on terror, the Vietnam War. The history of the world shows us wars have always been miscalculation," he asserted.
"I ask India; with our weapons capability.... on both sides, can we afford a miscalculation? It will neither be in my control or Modi’s. The hurt that has been caused due to the Pulwama attack, we want to come to the table and talk about terrorism that affects us both. We are ready. Let better sense prevail," the premier urged.
