Pak. signal to U.S. on n-command

By Amit Baruah

ISLAMABAD, FEB. 3 A National Command Authority (NCA), with an ``apex'' Employment Control Committee (ECC), has been set up to ``control and command'' Pakistan's nuclear weapons following approval from the National Security Council. The apex ECC, which will be the final authority to decide on the use of nuclear weapons, will be chaired by the ``head of Government''.

The official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency said late on Wednesday that the NCA will be responsible for policy formulation and will exercise ``employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organisations''.

Given the suddenness of the announcement, it would not be unfair to link the midnight statement to Pakistani ``signals'' towards the United States in relation to a possible Clinton stopover in Pakistan. For long, U.S. experts have been talking of credible command and control mechanisms (not that there was much doubt that the military controlled it all in Pakistan) and wanted that both India and Pakistan should institute these structures.

The setting up of the NCA is an indicator to the U.S. and the rest of the western world that Pakistan wants to manage its nuclear weapons properly, consistent with a policy of responsibility and restraint. The NCA will comprise the ``apex'' ECC, a Development Control Committee (DCC) as well as a Strategic Plans Division to act as a Secretariat to the Authority. This announcement, coming from a military Government, has the ring of permanence about it.

The ECC, with the head of Government (the words Chief Executive or Prime Minister have not been used) as Chairman, will also have the Foreign Minister (deputy chairman), Defence Minister, Interior Minister, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), the Service Chiefs, Director-General, Strategic Plans Division (secretary), technical advisors and others, as required by the Chairman.

The DCC, on the other hand, will be chaired by the head of Government and will include CJCSC (deputy chairman), Services Chiefs, Director-General, Strategic Plans Division and representatives of strategic organisations and the strategic community. ``The Committee will control development of strategic assets (read nuclear weapons),'' APP reported.

It is reasonably clear that while the ECC will be the final deciding authority on the ``employment'' or use of nuclear weapons, the DCC will develop Pakistan's nuclear weapons further. Interestingly, while there are several civilian members of the ECC, the DCC is totally dominated by the military, barring the ``head of Government'', who as of now, is the Army Chief.

Ambiguity yet over control

The structure that has been laid out still does not convincingly explain who controls the ``nuclear button'' in Pakistan. Given the fact that Pakistan will eventually return to democracy, it would have been instructive to define the ``head of Government''. Also, whether the ``Chairman'' of the ECC will decide on the use, or the entire Committee will settle the matter, has not been settled in Wednesday night's announcement.

It is also clear that the military wants to retain full control of the development of nuclear weapon capability and does not trust civilians as far as ``strategic assets'' are concerned. However, when it comes to employment, the civilian component in that committee is strong.

Interestingly, the NCA has been formed ``in accordance with Pakistan's well known nuclear policy of responsibility and restraint, as reaffirmed by the Chief Executive on several occasions, and with the objective of creating an institutionalised command and control mechanism, consistent with Pakistan's obligation as a nuclear power....''

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