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Pakistan Parliament adopts National Security Bill

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 14. Pakistan's Parliament today passed the controversial National Security Council Bill amid vehement protests from the Opposition. The Bill envisages the creation of the NSC with representation to all the three service chiefs and the Joint Chiefs of Staff with powers to make recommendations on matters of national importance.

It was the former military ruler, Zia-ul-Haq, who originally came up with the idea of such a council but could not succeed in implementing it. Ultimately, he armed himself with powers to dismiss Parliament and the provincial assemblies.

Now, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has not only managed to get back the powers of dismissal but also a security council with the service chiefs on board.

Justifying the creation of NSC, Gen. Musharraf said the Chief of the Army Staff had emerged a "powerful broker" due to repeated demands from political parties for intervention in matters of governance.

And the only way to keep the military out of governance was to take it on board.

The speed with which the Jamali Government introduced the Bill and ensured its passage has given room to speculation that the armed forces did not want to wait any longer for legitimacy as partners in governance. It took just over a week to get it adopted in Parliament.

The Government's anxiety to get through the legislation was evident when the parliamentary standing committee at a meeting cleared the Bill the same day it was introduced in the National Assembly.

Opposition members in the committee said the Government had not informed them about the meeting.

Opposition members in the Senate wanted the Bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for a larger public debate.

However, the demand was turned down on the plea that the committee of the National Assembly had already deliberated on the provisions of the Bill.

As per the provisions of the Bill, the NSC will have as members the President, who will chair the council, the Prime Minister, the Senate Chairman, the National Assembly Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, the Chief Ministers of the four provinces, the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

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