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Jamali satisfied with n-command structures

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD JAN. 6. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, today `attended' a meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA), the body entrusted with the task of development and deployment of nuclear weapons, and expressed "complete satisfaction with the effectiveness of the country's Command and Control Structures."

The meeting was clearly a response to the announcement made by New Delhi on January 4, establishing a chain of nuclear command under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The Pakistan command was established in February 2000 and it functioned under the leadership of the President, Pervez Musharraf, who at the time of the establishment of the Authority was the Chief Executive.

A significant aspect of today's meeting was that Gen. Musharraf convened it. The implication is that it is he in his capacity as Pakistan's President and the Chief of the Army Staff would function as its Chairman though the structure envisaged talks about the head of the Government (Prime Minister) as the Chairman.

The dilemma faced by Pakistan, after the so-called transfer of power from the military to a civilian set-up, as to who controls the nuclear button was evident at the regular Foreign Office briefing. In response to a specific question on the subject, the spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, initially said that Pakistan's nuclear command and control structure was in "safe hands."

However, when a reporter persisted on knowing whether it was safe in the hands of Gen. Musharraf or Mr. Jamali, the spokesman said that "I would get back to you on the specific query at a later date.'' Mr. Khan once again sought to emphasise that there was no question of the nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.

The official statement and the cautious response of the spokesman clearly suggest that Islamabad has second thoughts about the structure.

At the meeting Mr. Jamali was quoted as saying that the structure was well-conceived, elaborate and had matured. "The National Command Authority has ensured that while our nuclear assets and strategic forces were completely safe and secure, they continue to develop as per our minimum deterrence needs,'' he told the meeting. An official announcement said that Mr. Jamali was given a detailed briefing at a special session of the NCA.

The Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Services Chiefs were present.

In an obvious reference to the Pakistan-North Korea nuclear collaboration controversy, Mr. Jamali dismissed as "mischievous, motivated and highly irresponsible" the recent spate of media allegations of leakage. He said Pakistan was a responsible nuclear power with "an impeccable record of safety and security.'' Though Pakistan was not in any arms race with anyone, retention of "minimum deterrence'' was a cornerstone of Pakistan's National Security Policy.

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