ISLAMABAD: A report of the standing committee on defence on the National Command Authority bill, 2007, was laid before the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The bill has proposed that the president should be the chairman of the authority.
Apparently, the bill has been laid before parliament to satisfy the international community on the steps being introduced on safety of Pakistans nuclear facility and non-proliferation.
A source in the committee claimed that the government was under pressure to defuse the growing international concern over the safety of Pakistans nuclear facility.
Observers attributed rushing of the report to parliament to the growing mistrust being created by the international media about safety of Pakistans nuclear arsenal.
PML-Ns Ayaz Amir, a member of the committee, had opposed naming the president as chairman of the authority.
After introduction of the report in the National Assembly, Mr Amir told the house that the committee was assured by its chairperson that a final approval would be given at another meeting, but it was not done. He called for inserting his dissenting note in the report.
Later, Mr Amir told Dawn that he had proposed that the prime minister should be made chairman of the authority.
According to the report, the president will be the chairman and the prime minister will be the deputy chairman of the authority. Other members will be the ministers for foreign affairs, defence, finance and interior, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, three services chiefs and the director general of the Strategic Plans Division.
The statement of objectives lays down the significance of the report as under:
Pakistan, as a responsible state and considering the obligations under the international law, particularly under UNSC resolution 1540, it is in order to re-demonstrate through the present law the resolve of the government to continue to exercise full and complete control and security and safety measures over all matters concerning nuclear and space technologies, nuclear establishments, nuclear systems, nuclear materials, relevant personnel and related information, etc.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, in separate statements, reiterated that Pakistans nuclear assets were under fool-proof command and control security system.
Mr Kaira dismissed international media reports as highly speculative, saying the countrys nuclear programme was a symbol of national achievement, security, pride and sovereignty.
There is no question of any deals or tacit understanding by Pakistan with any external actor on our nuclear weapons status during any crisis situation.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Report on command authority bill tabled in NA
