Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chairing a high level meeting with senior security and intelligence officials on October 4, 2013. PHOTO: PID
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid a rare visit to the country’s nuclear installations on the outskirts of the capital on Friday and spent the whole day with the military leadership. He also met Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the appointment of a new chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
The premier visited the National Command Authority (NCA) accompanied by army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, outgoing Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shamim Wynne, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Director General Strategic Plans Division Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai and other senior military officers and scientists.
The prime minister made it clear that Pakistan was not engaged in an arms race with any country and reiterated his resolve for peace and stability in the region, according to a press release.
He added that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals ‘are in safe and secure hands’, and that “Pakistan’s strategic capability will continue to follow its policy of credible minimum deterrence.”
“Pakistan is a peace-loving country and it harbours no aggressive designs against any country, but will maintain minimum nuclear deterrence,” he said.
While the prime minister laid stress on minimum deterrence, he also said that nuclear technology was Pakistan’s basic right to meet its growing energy requirements.
“Acquiring civil nuclear technology is our fundamental right to meet our requirements,” he said. “National integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan will be ensured at all costs.”
The prime minister was also briefed on the nuclear programme and installations, and given a demonstration of the state-of-the -art connectivity of countrywide strategic assets – an exclusive network ensuring effective control over strategic assets by the NCA.
He was also briefed by the commander of the Army Strategic Force Command on an indigenously developed strategic system, designed to facilitate decision making at the NCA.
Analysts believe frequent visits to the security installations would show the world that the civil-military relationship in Pakistan was improving.
Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood said the endeavour was ‘unusual’. “The prime minister and military leadership seem to be in constant touch which is extraordinarily laudable,” he told The Express Tribune.
It was the prime minister’s first visit to the NCA but third in a row to any strategic plan’s department since he came to power as a result of the May 11 elections.
“Whether its war on terror, or tensions on the Line of Control or nuclear command and national security, our civil and military leaderships seem to be on the same page. This is allowing the political government to assert its powers in the larger interest of the country,” Masood said, adding that it also asserted the chief executive’s control in foreign policy matters.
Meets CJCSC and COAS
Sources told The Express Tribune that the prime minister held a meeting with the army chief to discuss key issues pertaining to security, especially in the backdrop of the prevailing security situation. The appointment of a new CJCSC also came under discussion as General Wynne is due to retire later this month. Reports suggest that Lt Gen Haroon Aslam, currently the most senior general in Pakistan Army, is being considered for the post, apart from Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Asif Sandila.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2013.
COMMENTS (6)
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@Mobeen
If India can be accommodated in the nuclear energy market
Why do you ask to be accommodated in the nuclear energy market? Pakistan was running one of its own some time back.
How can Pakistan be in any race when it is paralyzed in fear of the Taliban?
This is a very clear and straight forward approach given by Pakistan that the country is not involved in any arms race with any country but at the same time maintain credible minimum deterrence. Every state has the right to maintain political sovereignty and territorial integrity. Pakistan is very much right on this to maintain qualitative defensive capability. The national security parameters of the Pakistan are very comprehensively developed. Despite of so much internal and external criticisms, Pakistan’s forces and the government is determined and devoted to achieve security credentials . Although Pakistan is confronted with immense grave threats from internal and external fronts but it is doing its best to establish peace and security in the country and region at large.
There is no hesitation in admitting that Pakistan has done lot better than India in maintenance of peace and tranquility. We have seen Pakistani leadership showing their determination to curb terrorism. But our leaders are just seeking for weapons and arms to resolve issues.
Pakistan is energy deficient country and thus need a non discriminatory criteria based approach to access nuclear technology. Pakistan must be given equal rights and responsibilities in this regard. As Pakistan\'s experience in the nuclear power programme provided auspicious environment to further develop nuclear power generation capacity. If India can be accommodated in the nuclear energy market despite not agreeing to accede to the non-proliferation treaty, and given a waiver to trade by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Pakistan should not be an exception.
No one cares, so please keep it to yourselves.