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Pakistan sets to abolish Musharraf's era army-dominant council

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Feb. 24, IRNA-- Pakistan will abolish its National Security Council (NSC), established by former President Pervez Musharraf Musharraf, the country’s Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

Musharraf had established NSC in 2004 to serve as a forum for consultation for the president and the federal government on matters of national security including the sovereignty, integrity, defence, and security of the State and crisis management in general.

The Council, with services chiefs of its members, was also assigned the task to formulate recommendations to the President and the federal government in such matters.

Opposition parties had strongly criticized the NSC’s formation and had described the Council as a parallel system of the parliament. Some were of the opinion that the army was given a permanent role in the council.

“The President and I have agreed in principle to abolish the National Security Council and the Law Minister has been directed to present a bill before the Parliament in this regard,” Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said.

Talking to media in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said the Council was constituted despite opposition by major political parties including his Peoples Party and PML-N party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Council was established under an Act of Parliament and the parliament would undo this Act with simple majority, Mr Gilani said.

The Council has 13 members, including The President, The Prime Minister, The Chairman of the Senate, The Speaker of the National Assembly, The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, The chief ministers of four province, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), The Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army, The Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Navy and The Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

No meeting of the Council has been held since formation of the government in March last year.