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NSC will be non-intrusive, says Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD JULY 21. Alarmed over the widespread opposition to the changes proposed by his regime to the suspended 1973 Constitution, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has embarked on what is seen as a "damage limitation exercise".

In his so-called consultative meetings with a cross-section of the society his emphasis is more on how "open" his Government to suggestions for improvement of the package rather than an effort to hard sell it. So far none of the groups, be it political or apolitical, has endorsed the package. In fact, most of them have counselled him to drop the package and leave it to the new Parliament.

In his interactive session with the newly formed National Alliance, a group of small parties considered to be close to the Government, Gen. Musharraf went out of the way to assure that the controversial National Security Council (NSC) would be a "non-intrusive body".

More important, he told the delegation that its role and composition would be finalised after the Government had received views of all segments of the society, including different political groups.

The NSC, as envisaged by the military government think-tank, would be represented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the three service chiefs. If the package of amendments proposed by the think-tank is to be adopted, barring one all the persons in the Security Council would be either direct or indirect nominees of Gen. Musharraf.

There is consensus among all parties and the media that the Council would be a "super-Parliament" and put the National and Provincial Assemblies, the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers at its mercy. This is the backdrop that makes the promise of Gen. Musharraf significant.

"The role of the proposed NSC will remain non-intrusive and it will not interfere in the legislative and executive matters," the President told the leaders of the National Alliance.

The proposed constitutional package was not final and it would be reviewed at the conclusion of a nation-wide debate going on at the moment, he said. In yet another concession, Gen. Musharraf has agreed to waive the condition which required office-bearers of a political party to be graduates. Ironically it is the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam), nick-named as King's party for its proximity to the military government, which has been hit the most on account of the new clause.

A leader of the National Alliance, Mohammad Ali Durrani, quoted Gen. Musharraf as saying that he had signed the notification withdrawing educational restriction on the office-bearers of political parties and it would be issued shortly.

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