The top military commanders informally discussed the likely implications of the leaked report of the Abbottabad Commission. PHOTO: ispr.gov.pk
ISLAMABAD: The Abbottabad Commission has recommended restructuring and overhauling civil and military intelligence agencies through a parliamentary oversight and proposed a well-defined national security policy to ensure effective counter-terrorism performance.
While the government plans to convene an all-party conference to chalk out a consensus-based national security policy, the commission noted that despite the fact that Pakistan was the main victim of terrorism, there was no national security policy in the country to combat the menace. The classified report was leaked to Al-Jazeera news network– a copy of which is available on its website.
“The excessive powers and non-accountability of Pakistani intelligence establishment have posed the greatest threat of state failure to Pakistan,” the commission noted in its findings, adding, “The current defence policy and the joint strategic directive modality is a reflection of the military hegemony over the formulation of the National Security Policy (in unwritten form) which despite token civilian bureaucratic inputs, excludes serious civilian input.”
Analysts say the government might use the findings of the Abbottabad Commission to assert civilian authority on matters of national security in the upcoming APC.
The leaked report states that the National Assembly should set up an expert committee to look into the performance and mandate of the various civilian and military intelligence agencies.
“In particular, the failure of the intelligence community with respect to developments preceding and following the May 2 [2011] incident [Osama bin Laden raid] needs to be thoroughly looked into,” it reads.
The expert committee, the report says, should assess intelligence agencies work, culture, achievements and failure, their mandate and organisation, accountability, parliamentary oversight, among other things, and make appropriate recommendations consistent with civilian control and national security.
The violation of this democratic procedure was one reason for exclusive vigilance towards a border from where a developing threat was palpable, if not certain. As a result, no effective ‘pro-active’ policy planning took place and “we were left in our usual reactive policy mode in which policy options in a crisis are close to zero”.
Need for a National Security Council
The commission said a properly constituted National Security Council was necessary.
“Just as there is no national security policy, there is no NSC in the country. The Defence Committee of the Cabinet is not a substitute for a NSC. The NSC primarily should be a body that collects, collates and coordinates information and intelligence related to national security and submits regular policy paper and recommendations to the chief executive, i.e. the prime minister. These papers and recommendations should address long term, short term and immediate national security issues including crisis situations.”
It recommended that the core of the NSC will need to be a secretariat headed by a national security adviser of acknowledged analytical ability, having a deep understanding of the internal, regional and international situations and their trends.
The Abbottabad Commission recommended that the National Counter-Terrorism Authority needed to be made into a real rather than fictional body.
Corp commanders discuss implications of report
Also on Tuesday, the top military commanders informally discussed the likely implications of the leaked report of the Abbottabad Commission.
Chaired by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the meeting was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
An Inter-Services Public Relations statement said the routine corps commanders meeting undertook a comprehensive review of the prevalent internal and external security situation of the country.
However, sources confirmed that the top brass also discussed the findings of the commission.
A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said although officially the report was not made public, the conclusions of the commission were nothing new. The official admitted that there was a ‘systematic failure’ at all levels.
He said the findings had made it clear that the slain al Qaeda kingpin Osama bin Laden had no institutional support from within Pakistan during his nine-year stay in the country.
When asked, he said the military would give its formal reaction once the report was officially made public.
(Read: Abbottabad leak)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2013.
COMMENTS (22)
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Any other country would have summarily fired the head of the military and intelligence - Pakistan spent it's time blaming the American's, conspiracy theories, knocking down Abbottabad buildings.
When asked, he said the military would give its formal reaction once the report was officially made public.
Why are they responding at all? Who gave them this mandate? They are an arm of the government, nothing more.
Talk of systemic failures .... Even after this commission's produces a report, it is not publicly disclosed, but mysteriously "leaked"! The irony is not lost in the picture for this article ... All the generals seem to be wringing their hands when Gen. Kiyani is addressing them.
honestly speaking osama episode is full of mysteries lies and drama .
@Usman Ajmal According to the defense minister at the time he had to find the details of the incident after calling his daughter in New York. He then watched CNN to know what was happening because the army top brass wouldn't tell the civilian government anything. Also in the report that General Kiyani was called by the head of CIA immediately after to tell him that a raid had been conducted who took one day to tell the entire story to Zardari after everything had been discussed between the army and CIA.
Maybe the right thing to demand is that the army stop withholding information from the government? Also its army's JOB to monitor all aircrafts going in and out of our territory especially when they land right next to their own academy!!!
ET please publish this it only contains things already written in the report.
@Sinner proselytisers: What foreign hand? Why are we always looking to blame our failures on others?
@Pakistani What are you talking about? "our armed forces as they have been made weak due to government’s constant interference in there work". You are delusional and politically unaware i am sorry to break this news to you. It has been army that has intervened in politics, has never let democracy establish roots in Pakistan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militarycoupsin_Pakistan Read this and enlighten your thoughts. No democracy can ever succeed under military dictatorship.
This report is absolute nonsensical. There is no mention of a foreign hand.
Not sure at all why the report was so critical of our national security apparatus and our intelligence services. The forces did all they can but apparently due to load-shedding, the radars were out of action and didn't monitor the planes and helicopters flying in and with the change in Gasoline prices notified the night before the operation by OGRA of Rs1/litre reduction, the F16s were to be filled the next morning to resume flying duties. Due to the roadworks around the Abbottabad cantonment area, the infantry units could not reach there on time to interrupt the US operation.
I am also very surprised how on earth are our intelligence agencies are expected to do miracles to detect OBL when there was no name plate with his name on the residence either !
This is just another attempt at maligning our forces by the US-Indo-Judeo-Brit-French-German-Polish-Italian-Azerbaijanian lobby !
@Pakistani: Yeah! Even they were sleeping in peace when OBL was living and then continued sleeping when Abbottabad happened.
The fact remains that despite saying that OBL was not hiding in Pakistan, he was hiding very close to Army garrison in Abbottabsd and was killed by the US Navy SEAL''s on May 02, 2011, which has put the government under severe pressure to think to completely revamp our intelligence and security agencies.
We should not try to protect or appraise any particular intelligence agency, as due to the poor performance of our intelligence agencies, today the government is facing severe embarrassment.
We must admit our fault that Pakistani Intelligence Agencies completely failed to locate OBL, despite repeated requests and indications that OBL was in Pakistan.
We must revamp our intelligence agencies, instead of self appraising, as revamping makes the originizations perfect.
@Nadir: @Pakistani: Some people think the other way round.........????
@Nadir: corruption in the army is far greater than it is elsewhere. it's a simple fact that a big chunk of our budget is spent on the army.
when there are 300 sorties flying between Afghanistan and Arbaian sea by NATO forces, its difficultto track every aircraft. what could be reaction of US aircraft standing on western boarder while this op waas going? Did AAZ gave permission to USA for this attack? atleast someone should resgin bcz head of the institution is resp for the performance of his dept
The report had over a 100 recommendations, is this the only one you could find worth printing? Just because its fashionable to bash the Armed Forces for any and every reason? What about, lets say the lack of ownership of the problem and the clear lack of leadership from politicians on ANY issue of national significance? . The Army only acts in desperation, when faced with an extremely incompetent civilian leadership and a power vaccum. Rather than bashing the Army, lets learn to demand a better standard from our politicians, like in a proper functioning democracy. Maybe then, we may start to ask the right questions.
A request from a pakistani.
To all the powerfull in pakistan. Do something or step down and give others a chance. Like some in this picture most in pakistan dont have any other option it is important for most in pakistan that there country starts an immediate recovery.
I think it was good that the report was leaked otherwise it would have been shelved for gathering dust, like all other reports, and would never have been made public due to "national security reasons". This way it will put pressure on the government to act on the recommendations of the report.
It will be an understatement to say that Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies miserably failed in predicting as well as confronting US aggression. Beside rhetoric, military should have looked inside and determine what went wrong and how it can be prevented in the future. This process will not be complete until those who are found negligent are tried, punished, and relieved from their duty. We are at this point because we exaggerate our abilities, lie to our self and to nation. We need an a plan of action to come out of doldrums, and then action, not mere rhetoric.
Don't create another Gestapo. If another agency needs to be created, it's head must be a civilian. Don't let the military encroach further.
We must make sure that army is not demoralised because of actions of corrupt politicans,
we can not blame our armed forces as they have been made weak due to government's constant interference in there work...we should rather question hussian haqqani for issuing visas to American spays....I salute our Armed forces for fighting on multiple fronts and giving there lives, so we may sleep in peace...