President General Pervez Musharraf has said the National Security Council (NSC) is not a supra-constitutional body but a consultative forum to promote harmony in the federation on national security issues and avert extra-constitutional take-overs.
Chairing the first meeting of the NSC at the NSC Secretariat here on Thursday, the President emphasised that the NSC has not been constituted for any ulterior motives and nor was it meant for his self-perpetuation.
"These are utterly wrong impressions. I enjoy widespread support - and this forum is not there to ensure my personal security and safety."
Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, National Assembly Speaker, Chief Ministers of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Services Chiefs attended the meeting.
Ministers for Interior, Foreign Affairs, NWFP Governor and Vice Chief of Army Staff also participated in the meeting on special invitation. Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro could not attend the meeting as he is out of the country.
President Musharraf said according to Pakistani environment, this body and its formation represents all power centers and it is the need of the country.
He expressed the hope that the first meeting of the NSC would augur well for the future, harmonise the nation and avoid turmoil.
"It will assist in the security of Pakistan in a harmonious way," he added.
The President said the first meeting has the single-point agenda of internal security, as at this stage the internal security dimension is very critical. Pakistan, he said, faces no external threat and if there is a threat to Pakistan, it is from internal security environment.
President Musharraf said the NSC is not aimed at reinforcing the President but actually a check on the office of the President as well.
The NSC, he underlined, must be seen futuristically as an important forum of the country, having balanced representation of the federation including provinces and the armed forces.
The President pointed out that prior to the NSC, there was no forum where key functionaries including the opposition, provincial heads and armed forces could debate issues of national importance and exercise checks on each other and lend support to each other.
He referred to the political polarisation in the 1990s, when leaders of the opposition played negative roles asking for army's intervention.
Being a balanced forum, the NSC would bring harmony between Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition and the four provinces.
He said he was convinced that this forum would avert imposition of martial law in the future. In the past, he said, there was no forum in which Services Chiefs could also give their views on security issues.
With the NSC in place, no Army Chief would feel the need for imposing martial law as he would be voicing his opinion in this forum.
He said: "If this forum rejects Army Chief's views, he will not be able to impose martial law."
He expressed his disappointment that opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman had not attended the meeting despite the fact that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) had agreed on the 17th Amendment and the establishment of the NSC.
The MMA had promised to extend their support on the vote of confidence and the NSC but it backed out of both commitments, he said.
However, the President expressed the hope that leader of the opposition would review his decision in the national interest and attend meetings of the NSC in future.
The President took exception to the absence of NWFP Chief Minister from the meeting and said, being the head of provincial government, he should have attended the meeting. This is a very serious issue, he observed.
The participants of the meeting were briefed by the NSC secretary on the rationale for the setting up of the National Security Council in Pakistan.
The second briefing given by the Interior Minister pertained to the internal security environment in the country.
The presentation covered major factors affecting the internal security environment, Pakistan's perspective with regard to the war against terrorism, government's initiatives, weaknesses, hindrances and recommendations.
The meeting participants also discussed the prevailing international and regional situation and its impact on Pakistan.
They expressed their firm resolve to take all possible steps for ridding the country of the scourge of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism, as these were a cause of concern to the vast majority of peace-loving people of the country and constituted a major impediment to sustained growth and development of the country.
They stressed upon the need for greater co-ordination among the concerned federal and provincial authorities in this regard.
The recommendations and conclusions arrived at in the meeting would be forwarded to the government.
Later, talking to newsmen, the President asserted that the military operation being carried out in South Waziristan is against al-Qaeda and foreign terrorists hiding there and it is in no way against local tribesmen, who are loyal defenders of the country.
He brushed aside the propaganda by vested interests that the operation may be targeting local people.
"This operation is only against foreign extremists who have taken refuge there and the propaganda by vested interests is absolutely false.
"An operation against local tribal people is inconceivable because they are our brothers and defenders of Pakistan," he said.
Reiterating Pakistan's firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, he said the government would continue its military operation against foreign terrorists.
The President emphasised that the writ of the government would be established and action would be taken against foreign elements despite opposition by certain vested interests.
About the NSC meeting, the President said, it focused on a single-point agenda of internal security.
The meeting analysed the situation in Sindh, Karachi, Balochistan, NWFP, tribal areas including Wana, internal terrorism and sectarian extremism.
"We discussed the situation in a conceptual way but its implementation comes under governance."
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