NCA warns against N-misadventure

[Aarwaa]

NCA warns against N-misadventure

* President Musharraf says Pakistan capable of defending its interests * Meeting reviews various projects related to strategic capability

RAWALPINDI: The first meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA) warned on Friday that Pakistan would defend its strategic interests and assets against any ‘misadventure’.

The meeting also took exception to the ‘propaganda’ being spread by international media against the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets and said the security of all such assets had been ensured through a foolproof system.

Defence sources told Daily Times that a sustained and well-planned campaign of international think-tanks and media has been pressuring Pakistan to ensure the security of its nuclear assets. “The campaign has persisted despite the government’s overt and covert assurances that its weapons are safe and beyond the reach of terrorists and extremists,” they said.

An ordinance was promulgated on Thursday to streamline the command and control system for nuclear assets. The new law makes President Pervez Musharraf the head of the NCA, which is responsible for all aspects of strategic organisations and weapons. The sources said the NCA met a day after the ordinance’s promulgation to spell out its features.

Capable: Chairing the NCA meeting here, President Musharraf said Pakistan was capable of defending its interests and cautioned those contemplating ‘misadventures’. He said the country’s nuclear assets are in safe hands, adding that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and knows how to safeguard its nuclear assets, reported Online.

Meanwhile, an Inter-Services Public Relations statement said the NCA meeting was attended by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Tariq Majid, Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani, Naval Chief Muhammad Afzal Tahir, Air Chief Tanvir Mahmud, Foreign Affairs Minister Inamul Haq, Interior Minister Lt Gen (r) Hamid Nawaz, Finance Minister Dr Salman Shah, and Defence Minister Saleem Abbas Jilani.

Developments reviewed: It said the NCA reviewed the development of various projects related to Pakistan’s strategic capability and expressed satisfaction over the pace of development. It approved a number of proposals for strengthening the deterrence capability of the country.

Separately, Army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said that the ordinance had been promulgated before the polls because, while there was consensus among all political parties on the issue of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, the authorities wanted to put the NCA on a firm legal footing before the elections. “There is a transition in process and the country is returning to full democracy, so whatever things were left to be done are being done,” AP quoted Arshad as saying. “No government would like to change it,” he added. sajjad malik/agencies