Pak parliament to meet to discuss ties with US

Islamabad: Pakistan's parliament will meet on 3 October to discuss the national security situation in the backdrop of growing tensions with the US following accusations by Washington that the ISI is backing the Haqqani network.President Asif Ali Zardari today summoned a session of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament on 3 October on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, an official statement said.[caption id="attachment_91635" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="In response to US threats of unilateral action against the Haqqani network, Gilani said that Pakistan's defence was strong and the country "would not allow any aggressor to fiddle with its frontiers". AFP Photo"][/caption]The session, to be held in the wake of a series of allegations by senior US officials linking the Inter-Services Intelligence agency to the Haqqani network, will focus on the security situation and challenges confronting Pakistan, officials said.Prime Minister Gilani yesterday announced he would soon convene a meeting of the country's political leadership to apprise them of the security situation and the emerging situation in the region.Against the backdrop of US threats of unilateral action against the Haqqani network, Gilani said that Pakistan's defence was strong and the country "would not allow any aggressor to fiddle with its frontiers". The "people stood with their armed forces, which are fully capable to defend the frontiers of the country", hesaid, while addressing members of the business community at the Governor House in Karachi.The war of words between Pakistan and the US on the ISI's links with the Haqqani network escalated after Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani yesterday described US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen's accusations as "not based on facts".PTI