ISLAMABAD: The excitement was palpable in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The treasury benches were well populated for once as the PML-N parliamentarians were there in full force. Bulky men in suits or starched shalwar kameez and women covered from head to toe in colourful attires walked around and looked busy.

The opposition benches witnessed no less activity. PPP and PTI were there in full force. Imran Khan was present, leading and conferring with his men and women while the PPP wallahs were no less alert.

The reason was not hard to fathom.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was expected to grace the assembly, which he has hard-ly attended since his election.

But on Wednesday, there were few doubts that he would turn up.

Apart from the ordinary PML-N legislators, the extended Sharif clan had also made its appearance as had the federal cabinet.

If Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, who like his uncle doesn`t bother with the assembly much, walked up and down greeting people, son-in-law Capt Safdar also turned up though he preferred to sit still in his chair.

Busy bee Ishaq Dar was also there, as was Khawaja Saad Rafique, who, one has to admit, is one of the few PML-N ministers who make an effort to turn up in the NA and the Senate to answer questions.

And the busiest and the most important of the lot appeared to be Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. But he was in a sociable mood for once. Instead of making a beeline for his seat from where he simply rises to pontificate (before exiting), on Wednesday he went and spoke to each and every opposition leader Khursheed Shah, Imran Khan, Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, Sheikh Rashid and Farooq Sattar. Each one of them had a short chat with him as the rest of thehouse went about its business.

The chit chats did not go unnoticed in the press gallery.

`Chaudhry Nisar personally approaching other members of the National Assembly! It is unheard of,` commented a senior journalist.

Was he informing them about the arrival of the prime minister or was he taking them on board about the government plans about militancy? Conjecture and rumours flew around.

Once the NA took a short break for prayers, the journalists learnt what the chit chats were about.

Khan apparently told them all about the four-member committee that had been formed.

But it seemed as if the party leadership had forgotten to inform its rank and file about this development.

The poor back-benchers spent whatever opportunity they got at the mike to declare war on the Taliban.

Perhaps misinformed or misled by the mixed signals their government had been giving out, they were under the impressionthat the PML-N had decided to launch an attack on the Taliban.

Hence, they were already applauding the move. Abdul Manan, Chaudhry Ashraf and Bahsir Virk of the PML-N in particular held forth against the militants and argued that they should be dealt with firmly.

Little did they know that their prime minister had once again pulled a fast one on them. When Sharif finally walked in (till the afternoon prayers, it was still not clear if he was actually going to turn up or not) and began his speech, he seemed to be taking a similar line. But then by the time he reached the last page, it seemed as if he had mixed up his notes for two different speeches.

As a result, after having mentioned terrorism victims by names, having lamented the bodies Pakistan has buried, having castigated the barbarism of the Taliban and having promised that he would bring peace to Pakistan, he announced a new committee to hold talks. It cannot be said that the day ended on a whimper but the fireworks the prime minister offered in his speech were unexpected to say the least.