Abbasi summons NSC meeting to discuss security

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Tuesday to discuss security and border issues.

The top civilian and military leadership, apart from discussing aforementioned issues, will review the implementation of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) reforms, regional situation and matters pertaining to eastern and western borders of the country, Geo TV, reported citing sources, as saying.

The report, also quotes the sources, as saying that the NSC is likely to discuss the issue of the book 'Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace' co-authored by former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General (retired) Asad Durrani.

Durrani, whose, name was placed on the country's Exit Control List (ECL) on Monday met with the senior officers of the Pakistan Army at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to give an explanation for co-authoring a book with former Indian external intelligence chief A S Dulat.

His placement in the ECL comes hours after he was after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the former spy chief would be probed by a Court of Inquiry for views attributed to him in the book 'Spy Chronicles.'

Durrani and Dulat co-authored a book named 'Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace' which has recently been published.

In the book, Lt. Gen. Durrani made certain observations, including a claim that then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was aware of the US Navy Seals operation against Osama Bin Ladin in Abbottabad and that a special deal was struck between the US and Pakistani governments in this regard.

Post the book release, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Durrani was asked to clarify his position in the context of the military code of conduct that bars any serving or retired military official from making remarks that compromise the country's national security.

The Spy Chronicles which has been a maiden effort by two former chiefs of rival agencies had been all over the news even before the book was published.

Earlier, Lt. Gen. Durrani defended himself saying the literary collaboration was simply a case of two people with experience in Indo-Pak affairs joining hands to discuss their respective perspectives.