Pakistan gives the military a formal role in government

By Farhan Bokhari in Lahore
Published: April 15 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: April 15 2004 5:00

Pakistan's upper house of parliament yesterday passed a controversial bill to create a national security council giving a permanent forum to the chiefs of the powerful armed forces to influence national decisions.


The members of the council, to be chaired by General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, include the prime minister, senior ministers, the leader of the opposition in parliament and chiefs of the army, navy and air force.

"It's a sad day for Pakistan because this gives a permanent role to the military in politics," said Farhatullah Babar, a senator of the opposition Pakistan People's party (PPP), denouncing the move. "The NSC ridicules the elected parliament."

The creation of the NSC coincides with controversy over Gen Musharraf's plans to step down as chief of the military by the end of the year, and serve as a civilian president for another three years. He made the promise to win support from rightwing Islamic political parties, to break a deadlock in parliament caused by months of walkouts and vocal protests.

But in an interview with the BBC this week, Gen Musharraf declined to commit himself to stepping down, saying he was annoyed with the opposition for its refusal to support a vote of confidence in his favour as well as the earlier passage of the NSC bill in the lower house of parliament.

Pakistan's defence and interior ministers along with a small group of pro-government MPs have called on Gen Musharraf to remain in charge of the military and stay as president beyond December. The government has since confirmed that Gen Musharraf would abide by his earlier commitment to step down in December.

Hasan Askari Rizvi, a respected political commentator, said: "There are signs of a build-up in favour of Musharraf, urging him to remain in power." Mr Askari said that given the influence of the Pakistani military, many people thought key officials around Gen Musharraf were encouraging a clamour for him to forego his retirement plans.

Western diplomats warned that Gen Musharraf risked inviting international criticism if he retreated on his plans. "This would be seen a major setback to democracy," said one.

* Pakistan is considering a fresh request from the US to provide troops to protect UN interests in Iraq, senior foreign ministry officials said in Islamabad yesterday. However, officials declined to say how many troops were being sought or what they might do.