View source for National Security Council (Pakistan)

{{Short description|Institutional and consultative body of the Government of Pakistan}}
{{Infobox government agency
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The '''National Security Council''' ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|قومی سلامتی مجلس}}}}) ([[reporting name]]: '''NSC''') is a federal institutional and consultative body chaired by the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|prime minister of Pakistan]] as its chairman. The NSC is a principal forum that is mandated for considering [[national security]] and [[foreign policy]] matters with the senior national security advisers and Cabinet ministers.<ref name=PILDT />  The idea and inception of National Security Council was first conceived in 1969 under the [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Yahya Khan]], its functions were to advise and assist the president and prime minister on national security and foreign policies.

The National Security Council was re-created by then-[[President of Pakistan|President]] and former [[General Pervez Musharraf]] in April 2004 under the National Security Council Act. Although, the NSC remains to as a statutory body, the National Security Council is not active since [[2008 Pakistani general elections|2008]], and the [[Cabinet Committee on National Security (Pakistan)|Cabinet Committee on National Security]] is fulfilling the role and purpose of the NSC.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)"/> The first National Security Adviser was Tariq Aziz who was appointed in 2004 and was preceded by [[Major-General]] (retired) [[Mahmud Ali Durrani|Mahmud Durrani]] in 2008.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)"/> Since Durrani's deposing by Prime Minister [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]] in 2009, there has been no appointed new NSC adviser since then.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)">{{cite web|last=Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)|title=Performance of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet of Pakistan|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:2tLj6r8uEZ0J:www.pildat.org/publications/publication/CMR/PerformanceoftheDefenceCommitteeoftheCabinet_Report_March2012.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgOTJIqxq02_Cgw1APDG90skv2XPyIxlHi1Kgjv7IgqguK3caj0HWHmvxLT81HlhvsHghC1N4i9vGb5ScXUDvZA4uVf0OVG52mfy2Vr0b8Ic7KP4727QQPyztA5d-Zo6TrzFkjp&sig=AHIEtbRYEemTuxjmKwwLyFHKTALPXVt9fA|work=Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency|publisher=Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)|access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> The NSC was abandoned by the government of [[Pakistan Peoples Party]] (PPP), with a unified confirmations from the [[Parliament of Pakistan|Parliament]], and its functions has been taken under control by the Defence Cabinet Committee as of 2009.<ref name="PILDT">{{cite web|last=PILDT|title=The Evolution of National Security Council in Pakistan|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Y3lfJakmBHEJ:www.pildat.org/publications/publication/CMR/NaionalSecurityCouncil-debateonInstitutionsandprocessesfordecisionmakingonsecurityissues.pdf+national+security+council+of+pakistan+abolished&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShggkYLQkSMWbAFmB-4iD6lT1DEaPvelTxBGXYN_kuH8RwqjdggCetmcHTJskvJB2-wd5DLAlSxRAl4hOffUKZk3YYEjP3YPtCx4TZw4NQZttnWDGQc2svqysWcvR4fM-MSe_rD&sig=AHIEtbTpoD1sB-vSB9bx3iBp1XKjssR3aQ|work=Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.|publisher=PILDT|access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref>

The council was revived under Nawaz Sharif, who presides over meetings of the council when there is an emergency, such as hostilities between [[India and Pakistan]], or a chance to discuss events related to the insurgency.<ref name="tribune.com.pk">{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/772249/border-clashes-pm-summons-national-security-council-meeting/|title=Border clashes: PM summons National Security Council meeting - The Express Tribune|date=8 October 2014|website=tribune.com.pk|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727162631/http://tribune.com.pk/story/772249/border-clashes-pm-summons-national-security-council-meeting/|archive-date=27 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/10-Oct-2014/crucial-national-security-committee-meeting-begins |title=Crucial National Security Committee meeting begins |access-date=2014-10-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011092123/http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/10-Oct-2014/crucial-national-security-committee-meeting-begins |archive-date=2014-10-11 }}</ref>

==Structure==

===Former Constitution Basis===

The [[Constitution of Pakistan]] in the past provided for the National Security Council. However, the provision was repealed by the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan|18th Amendment]].

===Permanent Officiates===
{{Main|Cabinet Committee on National Security|Economic Coordination Committee}}

The membership position does not depend on the will of the chairman, who is the elected [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]].<ref name="Defence Journal"/> Depending on the agenda of the meeting, other concerned persons are also invited in the meeting of the NSC.<ref name="Defence Journal">{{cite web |last1= Jaspal |first1= Zafar Nawaz |title= National Security Council: Implications for Pakistan's Political System |url= http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/march/political.htm |website= www.defencejournal.com |publisher= Defence Journal |access-date= 13 January 2015 |location= Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |date= 16 March 2002 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213358/http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/march/political.htm |archive-date= 23 September 2015 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Structure of the Pakistan National Security Council
|-
! Ex-Officio members and permanent officials !! Public office and Statutory
|-
| Chairman of the National Security Council || [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] of [[Pakistan]]
|-
| Secretary || [[National Security Division Secretary (Pakistan)|Federal Secretary National Security Division]]
|-
|Advisor || [[National Security Advisor (Pakistan)|National Security Advisor]]
|-
|Military Advisor || [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]]
|-
|Intelligence Advisor || [[Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence|DG Inter-Services Intelligence]]<br />[[Director General|DG]] [[Intelligence Bureau (Pakistan)|Intelligence Bureau]]
|-
|Statutory Attendees || [[Pakistan Minister of Defence|Minister of Defence]]<br />[[Pakistan Minister of Foreign Affairs|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]<br />[[Pakistan Ministry of Interior|Minister of Interior]]<br />[[Pakistan Minister of Finance|Minister of Finance]]<br />[[Law Minister of Pakistan|Minister of Law and Justice]]
|-
|Military Attendees || [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]]<br />[[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]]<br />[[Chief of Staff of Pakistan Navy|Chief of Navy Staff]]
|-
|Additional attendees|| [[Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan|Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister]]<br />[[Defence Secretary (Pakistan)|Defence Secretary of Pakistan]]<br />[[Interior Secretary of Pakistan]]<br />[[Finance Secretary of Pakistan]]<br />[[Attorney General of Pakistan]]<br />[[Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations|Ambassador to the United Nations]]<br />[[Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan)|Leader of the Opposition]]
|}

The usual cabinet-level meetings at the NSC takes the following agenda and members of the following authorities are usually invited:

'''Current'''
*[[National Command Authority (Pakistan)|National Command Authority]] (NCA)
*[[Cabinet Committee on National Security (Pakistan)|Cabinet Committee on National Security]] (C<sup>2</sup>NS)
*[[Economic Coordination Committee (Pakistan)|Economic Coordination Committee]] (ECC)
'''Former'''
*[[Executive Committee of the Space Research Council]] (ECSRC) — deactivated since 1985.

==Functions==
The Council serves as a forum for consultation for the president and the federal government on matters of national security including the sovereignty, integrity, defence and security of the State and crisis management in general. It may also formulate recommendations to the president and the federal government in such matters.

===National Security Advisers===
{{Main|National Security Advisor (Pakistan)}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No
! Name
!colspan="2"| Term of Office
! Previous service cadre
! [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]]
|-
! 1
| [[Major-General]] Ghulam Omar<ref name="Pildat publications">{{cite book|last1=Rizvi|first1=Hasan Askari|author-link1=Hasan Askari Rizvi|title=National Security CounciI: AA debate on institutions and processes for decision-making on security issues|date=2012|publisher=Pildat publications|location=Islamabad|isbn=978-969-558-265-7|pages=17–20, 34|chapter-url=http://www.pildat.org/publications/publication/CMR/NaionalSecurityCouncil-debateonInstitutionsandprocessesfordecisionmakingonsecurityissues.pdf|access-date=31 October 2015|language=en|chapter=Evolution of the Concept of NSC in Pakistan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101825/http://www.pildat.org/publications/publication/CMR/NaionalSecurityCouncil-debateonInstitutionsandprocessesfordecisionmakingonsecurityissues.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>
| 25 March 1969 
| 20 December 1971
| [[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
| [[Nurul Amin]]
|-
!2
|[[General officer|General]] [[Tikka Khan]]<ref name="Indian Express, Pakistan Desk">{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Sushant|title=Naseer Janjua as Pakistan's NSA further diminishes PM Nawaz Sharif|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/lt-general-naseer-janjua-as-pakistans-nsa-further-diminishes-pm-nawaz-sharif/|access-date=31 October 2015 |newspaper=Indian Express |date=23 October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028202318/http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/lt-general-naseer-janjua-as-pakistans-nsa-further-diminishes-pm-nawaz-sharif/|archive-date=28 October 2015}}</ref>
|3 March 1972 	
|1 March 1976
| [[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
| [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
|-
! 3
| [[Major-General]] [[Rao Farman Ali]]<ref name="Indian Express, Pakistan Desk" />
| 29 March 1985
| 17 August 1988
| [[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
| [[Muhammad Khan Junejo]]
|-
! 4
|Tariq Aziz<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bhattacharjee|first1=Dhrubajyoti|title=Pakistan and the Failure of the NSA Level Dialogue|url=http://www.icwa.in/pdfs/VP/2014/PAKISTANTHEFAILURE03092015vp.pdf.|access-date=31 October 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135840/http://www.icwa.in/pdfs/VP/2014/PAKISTANTHEFAILURE03092015vp.pdf.|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
| 4 April 2004 
| 18 August 2008
| [[Central Superior Services of Pakistan|Central Superior Services]]
| [[Shaukat Aziz]]<br />[[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]

|-
! 5
|[[Major-General]] [[Mahmud Ali Durrani]] 
| 19 August 2008
| 7 January 2009 
| [[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
| [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]
|-
! 6
|[[Sartaj Aziz]]<ref name="Express Tribune, 2013">{{cite news|last1=Khan|first1=Sumaira|title=Battling militancy: Govt revives National Security Council|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/594103/battling-militancy-govt-revives-national-security-council/|access-date=13 January 2015|agency=Express Tribune, 2013|publisher=Express Tribune, 2013|date=23 September 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319151137/http://tribune.com.pk/story/594103/battling-militancy-govt-revives-national-security-council/|archive-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>
|7 July 2013
|22 October 2015
|[[Central Superior Services of Pakistan|Central Superior Services]]
|[[Nawaz Sharif]]
|-
! 7
|[[Lieutenant-General]] [[Nasser Khan Janjua]]<ref name="Gulf News, Pakistan Bureau">{{cite news |title=Janjua takes over as Pakistan's NSA|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/pakistan/186/details/460910/janjua-takes-over-as-pakistan%E2%80%99s-nsa|access-date=31 October 2015 |newspaper=Gulf News |date=23 October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030230621/http://www.gulf-times.com/pakistan/186/details/460910/janjua-takes-over-as-pakistan%e2%80%99s-nsa|archive-date=30 October 2015}}</ref>
|23 October 2015
|27 June 2018
|[[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
|[[Nawaz Sharif]]
|-
!8
|[[Moeed Yusuf]]
|24 December 2019
|10 April 2022
|—
|[[Imran Khan]]
|-
!9
|[[Asim Malik]]
|30 April 2025
|Incumbent
|[[Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan)|Inter-Services Selection Branch]]
|[[Shehbaz Sharif]]
|}

==History==

===Inception: 1969–1971===
[[File:Yahya and Nixon.jpg|thumb|200px|right|President [[Yahya Khan]] with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]] established the NSC as akin to the American [[National Security Council (USA)|National Security Council (NSC)]] in 1969.]]

The [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistan military]] has been sending many recommendations for the establishment of the National Security Council as akin and counterpart to the [[United States National Security Council|American National Security Council]].<ref name="PILDT" /> A comprehensive report on NSC was written and submitted by the [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Naval Staff]], [[Vice Admiral]] [[Syed Mohammad Ahsan|S.M. Ahsan]] in 1968.<ref name="PILDT" /> Admiral Ahsan submitted his handwritten report to President Yahya Khan's staff in [[Islamabad]] in 1969 and emphasized support for the establishment of the military dominated national security council composed of senior civil and military officials who would advise the government on national security issues and propose strategies to overcome the challenges involving the [[Foreign policy of Pakistan|foreign policy]] matters.<ref name="PILDT" /> The proposal was forwarded to [[Aiwan-e-Sadr|President Office]], and then to President Yahya Khan with strong recommendations for its approval.<ref name="PILDT" />

In 1969, [[President of Pakistan|President]] [[Yahya Khan]] established the National Security Council, after signing and issuing the presidential decree to establish this consultative institution. [[Major-General]] Ghulam Omar was appointed NSC's first secretary and was posted at the [[General Headquarters (Pakistan Army)|General Headquarters]] (GHQ) to perform operations of NSC under President Yahya Khan.<ref name="PILDT" /> The NSC secretariat was part of the [[Aiwan-e-Sadr|President Office]] and the [[Chief Martial Law Administrator]] (CMLA) and was directly under the control of the military establishment which then-functioned under President Yahya Khan's staff.<ref name="PILDT" />

The NSC secretariat was highly unpopular in public and political circles of Pakistan, and it quickly gained notoriety in [[Pakistani society|civil society]] due to its involvement in political and civilian affairs.<ref name="PILDT" /> The NSC secretariat did not figure in the decision-making of the military government because President Yahya Khan ran his government administration as personalized enterprise relaying heavily on his close and trusted military and bureaucratic advisers.<ref name="PILDT" /> The NSC Secretary, Major-General Ghulam Omar, was less focused on national issues whilst kept his interest in combat development. The NSC Secretariat under Yahya Khan was only a paper organization.<ref name="PILDT" />

===The Genesis: 1985–1999===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ 1998 NSC Debates on Nuclear tests
|-
!Participants in debates
!Cadre/Office
!Vote
!Notes
|-
|[[Nawaz Sharif]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000">{{cite web|last1=Azam|first1=Rai M. S.|title=When Mountains Move&nbsp;– The Story of Chagai|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chagai.htm |website=Defence Journal |access-date=15 January 2015|date=20 June 2000|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401181303/http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chagai.htm|archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> || Prime Minister || {{tick|12}} || Voted and Ordered tests
|-
|[[Sartaj Aziz]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || [[Finance Minister of Pakistan|Finance Minister]] || {{xmark|12}} ||Opposed but later retraced.
|-
|[[Mushahid Hussain Syed|Mushahid Hussain]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Mushahid Hussain Syed|url=http://www.pakistanherald.com/profile/mushahid-hussain-syed-172|access-date=15 January 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115061013/http://www.pakistanherald.com/profile/mushahid-hussain-syed-172|archive-date=15 January 2015}}</ref> || [[Information Minister of Pakistan|Information Minister]] || {{tick|12}} || First to propose in favor of tests
|-
|[[Gohar Ayub Khan|Gohar Ayub]] || [[Foreign Minister of Pakistan|Foreign Minister]] || {{tick|12}} ||
|-
|[[Ishaq Dar]]<ref name="Stanford University Press">Khan, Feroz Hassan (2012). Eating grass the making of the Pakistan's atomic bomb. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. {{ISBN|0804784809}}.</ref> || [[Commerce Minister of Pakistan|Commerce Minister]] || {{tick|12}} ||Support in favor of tests
|-
|[[Shamshad Ahmad]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || [[Foreign Secretary (Pakistan)|Foreign Secretary]] || {{tick|12}} ||
|-
|[[General|Gen]] [[Jehangir Karamat]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs]]<br />[[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of army staff]] || {{tick|12}} || Spoke in favor but left decision on Sharif
|-
|[[Admiral|Adm.]] [[Fasih Bokhari]]<ref>Ahmad Noorani (October 11, 2011). "Why Admiral Bokhari is a favourite of Zardari, rejected by Nawaz". The News International. Retrieved 18 May 2012.</ref> || [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Naval Staff]] || {{xmark|12}} || Opposed tests on moral ground
|-
|[[Air Chief Marshal|ACM]] [[Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi|PQ Mehdi]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]] || {{tick|12}} ||Supported and provide logistics<ref name="THe Nation, 2009">{{cite news|last1=Hali|first1=SM|title=A new dawn|url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/25-Mar-2009/A-new-dawn|access-date=15 January 2015|work=Special report on PAF by SM Hali|agency=THe Nation|publisher=THe Nation, 2009|date=25 March 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126155509/http://nation.com.pk/columns/25-Mar-2009/A-new-dawn|archive-date=26 November 2015}}</ref>
|-
|Dr.[[Abdul Qadeer Khan]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || Senior scientist at [[Khan Research Laboratories|KRL]] || {{tick|12}} || Debated and proposed tests
|-
|Dr.[[Ishfaq Ahmad]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || Senior scientist at [[Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission|PAEC]] || {{tick|12}} || Supported in favor tests
|-
|Dr.[[Samar Mubarakmand]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || Senior scientist at [[Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission|PAEC]] || {{tick|12}} ||Debated in favor of tests
|-
|[[Munir Ahmad Khan]]<ref name="Defence Journal, 2000" /> || Senior scientist at [[Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission|PAEC]] || {{tick|12}} ||Debated in favor of tests
|-
|[[Ahmad Kamal]]<ref name="CNN Pakistan Bureau">{{cite news|last1=Koppel|first1=Andrea|title=World&nbsp;— Asia-Pacific U.S. sources: Pakistan edging closer to nuclear tests|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9805/27/pakistan.nuclear.pm/index.html?iref=newssearch|access-date=15 January 2015|work=State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel, Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre, Reporter Kasra Naji and Reuters contributed to this report.|agency=CNN Pakistan Bureau|publisher=CNN Pakistan Bureau|date=27 May 1998|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115060743/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9805/27/pakistan.nuclear.pm/index.html?iref=newssearch|archive-date=15 January 2015}}</ref> || [[Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations|Representative to UN]] || {{tick|12}} || Diplomatic in favor of tests
|-
|[[Javed Hashmi]]{{rp|128–129}}<ref name="Sager Publication, Hashmi, 2005">{{cite book|last1=Hashmi|first1=Javed|editor1-last=Waheed|editor1-first=Manzar|title=(Yes! I am Rebel) ىاں‬! ميں‬ باغىى ہوں‬|date=2005|publisher=Sager Publication|location=Lahore, Pun. Pakistan |pages=409 |edition=1st |chapter-url= https://www.scribd.com/document/23302483/Haan-Main-Baghi-Hoon-By-Javed-Hashmi#|access-date=22 May 2018|language=en|chapter-format=scribd |chapter= My Father and Pakistan Movement}}</ref> || [[Minister for Environment (Pakistan)|Environmental Minister]] || {{tick|12}} || Debated in favor of tests
|}

The concept of National Security Council as a bridge of stabilizing the [[civil-military relations]] has always been favoured by the [[Pakistan Military|military spectrum]] of Pakistan since 1971.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> In 1973, Pakistan military has sent repeated recommendations of peculiar structure of the NSC in which senior military commanders of [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] are ensured a seat at the table.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> The proposal was met with heated criticism in the [[Parliament of Pakistan|state parliament]] and [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] instead issued a [[white paper]] on Higher Defence Organisations (HDO) in May 1976, outlining
the institutional arrangements for dealing with defence and security affairs. This led the ultimate creation of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) which has the mandate of responsibility of national defence rested with the prime minister. The DCC conveys matters to other important organisations involved in the national security decision-making on security affairs included the [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defence (MoD)]], the [[Joint Staff Headquarters (Pakistan)|JS HQ]] of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]] and its
[[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman]], the Chiefs of Staff of the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]].<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />

After the enactment of the [[Operation Fair Play|martial law]] by [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|chief of army staff]] General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]] in 1977, the DCC had remained active. After holding successful [[1984 Pakistani Islamisation programme referendum|referendum]], followed by non-partisan [[1985 Pakistani general election|general elections]] in 1985, [[President of Pakistan|President]] General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]] authored and inserted [[Constitution of Pakistan|Article 152-A]] to the [[Constitution of Pakistan|Constitution]] through the Revival of the Constitution Order (RCO), in March 1985.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />  This led the establish a National Security Council for accommodating the high-ranking military leadership in policy making.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />  The NSC was empowered to "make recommendations relating to the issue of a Proclamation of Emergency under Article 232, security of Pakistan and any other matter of national importance that may be referred to it by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister."<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />

The NSC was opposed by most political circles and it had to be dropped as a part of the deal with the Parliament to get the parliamentary approval for the revised version of the Revival of the Constitution Order (RCO) as [[Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan]], in October 1985.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />  The NSC was dissolved by [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Benazir Bhutto]] in 1993 and reactivated the DCC operationalize in its place.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />

From 1998–99, there were only two NSC meetings took place which were chaired by the Prime Minister Sharif; first occasion when Sharif ordered Pakistan's [[nuclear test]]s in response to [[India]]'s [[nuclear test|tests]], as part of his [[tit-for-tat]] policy.<ref name="United States Institute of Peace">{{cite book|last1=Schaffer|first1=Howard B.|last2=Schaffer|first2=Teresita C.|title=How Pakistan negotiates with the United States : riding the roller coaster|date=2011|publisher=United States Institute of Peace|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-1-60127-075-7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=axT9i-FhO0UC&q=Jehangir+Karamat&pg=PA103|access-date=7 January 2015|chapter=§Pakistan's politicians|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/howpakistannegot0000scha}}</ref> At the NSC [[Cabinet Committee on National Security|cabinet meeting]], the Pakistani government, military, scientific, and civilian officials were participating in a debate, [[Versus Debates|broadening]], and complicating the [[decision-making]] process.<ref name="United States Institute of Peace" /> Although, General Karamat debated towards presenting the [[Cabinet Committee on National Security|national security]] and military point of view, the final decision was left on [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif]]'s say.<ref name="United States Institute of Peace" /> After the decision was made, General Karamat was notified of [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif]]'s decision and asked the military to be stand-by orders. After providing the joint military logistics, the nuclear tests were eventually carried out on 28 May 1998, as [[Chagai-I]], and on 30 May 1998 as codename: [[Chagai-II]].<ref name="The Nation, 1998">{{cite news|last1=Azam|first1=Rai Muhammad Saleh|title=When Mountains Move&nbsp;– The Story of Chagai|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chagai.htm|access-date=7 January 2015|work=Article written by RMS Azam ives a detailed account of events and personalities leading to Pakistan first nuclear explosion|agency=The Nation, 1998|publisher=The Nation, 1998|date=2 June 2000|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401181303/http://www.defencejournal.com/2000/june/chagai.htm|archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> As dawn broke over the Chagai mountains, Pakistan became the world's seventh nuclear power.<ref name="Yale University Press">{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Owen Bennett|title=Pakistan eye of the storm|date=2003|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven, Conn.|isbn=0-300-10147-3|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ONZpltd6UZ8C&q=Karamat+Chagai&pg=PA193|access-date=7 January 2015}}</ref>

Secondly, the NSC meeting took place during the heights of the [[Kargil War]] in 1999. Empowerment of the NSC at the bureaucratic level was the primary issue that led to the forced [[Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's relief of General Jehangir Karamat|relieve]] of [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] General [[Jehangir Karamat]] in 1998.<ref name="Tribune India,1998">{{cite news|last1=Jaisingh|first1=Hari|title=Beleaguered Sharif wins first round|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98oct09/head5.htm|access-date=7 January 2015|agency=Tribune India|publisher=Tribune India, 1998|date=9 October 1998|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114164523/http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98oct09/head5.htm|archive-date=14 January 2015}}</ref> In an absence of the forum, the upheavals in [[civil–military relations]] led to the [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|dismissal]] of [[Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif]] in 1999 when he tried to dismissed then-[[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] [[Pervez Musharraf]].<ref name="Brookings Institution Press, 2004">{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Stephen Philip|title=The idea of Pakistan|date=2004|publisher=Brookings Institution Press, 2004|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-8157-9761-3|edition=1st pbk.|access-date=7 January 2015|url=https://archive.org/details/ideaofpakistan00cohe|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/ideaofpakistan00cohe/page/150 150]|quote=Jehangir Karamat National Security Council.}}</ref>

===Reconstruction and developments: 2004–2008===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ 2007 NSC Debates on [[Lal Masjid Operation|Lal Masjid]]
|-
!Participants in debates
!Cadre/Office
!Vote
|-
|[[Pervez Musharraf]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007">{{cite news|last1=GEO News|title=Important events coverage by GEO TV|url=http://www.geo.tv/important_events/lalmasjid/pages/english_news.asp|access-date=15 January 2015|agency=GEO News|publisher=GEO News, 2007|date=31 July 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225022318/http://www.geo.tv/important_events/lalmasjid/pages/english_news.asp|archive-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> || [[President of Pakistan|President]]<br />[[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|(Chief of army staff)]]  || {{tick|12}}
|-
|[[Shaukat Aziz]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" />|| [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]]<br />[[Finance Minister of Pakistan|(Finance Minister)]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
||[[General|Gen]] [[Ehsan ul Haq|Ehsan-ul-Haq]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" />|| [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman Joint Chiefs]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
|[[Khurshid Kasuri]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Foreign Minister of Pakistan|Foreign Minister]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
|-
|[[Admiral|Adm]] [[Afzal Tahir]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Chief of Naval Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Naval Staff]] || {{xmark|12}}
|-
|Tariq Aziz<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[National Security Advisor (Pakistan)|NSA]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
|[[Air Chief Marshal|ACM]] [[Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed|Tanvir Ahmed]]|| [[Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Air Staff]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
|[[Aftab Khan Sherpao|Aftab Sherpao]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Interior Minister of Pakistan|Interior Minister]] || {{tick|12}}
|-
|[[Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain|Shujaat Hussain]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> ||President, [[Pakistan Muslim League (Q)|PML(Q)]] || {{xmark|12}}
|-
|[[Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq|Ijaz-ul-Haq]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Ministry of Religious Affairs (Pakistan)|Religion minister]] || {{xmark|12}}
|-
|[[Tariq Azim Khan|Tariq Azim]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Pakistan Senate|Pakistan Senator]] || {{xmark|12}}
|-
|[[Makhdoom Ali Khan|Ali Khan]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> || [[Attorney General of Pakistan|Attorney General]] || {{xmark|12}}
|-
|[[Muhammad Ali Durrani|Muhammad Durrani]]<ref name="GEO News, 2007" /> ||[[Information Minister of Pakistan|Information Minister]] || {{xmark|12}}
|}

After staging a [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|coup d'état]] against the government of [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif]] in 1999, [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman joint chiefs]] [[Pervez Musharraf]] announced the establishment of six member national security council in his first television speech. Through a presidential act, the concept of NSC was formally established under an order of the chief executive on 30 October 1999.<ref name="APH Pub. Corp.">{{cite book|last1=Dutt|first1=Sanjay|title=Inside Pakistan : 52 years outlook|date=2000|publisher=APH Pub. Corp.|location=New Delhi|isbn=8176481572}}</ref> The presidential order also led the establishment of the [[National Reconstruction Bureau]] (NRB) as a think tank.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> Although NRB gained quick constitutional establishment in 2000 the NSC's constitutional establishment did not really take off due to political consensus over the establishment of this institution. Finally in 2004, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Shaukat Aziz]] presented the National Security Council through an Act of Parliament and succeeded in constitutionally establishing the NSC for the first time in April 2004. Originally the NSC bill proposed that the NSC would also deal with the "matters relating to democracy, governance, and inter-provincial harmony."<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> This sentence was later controversially replaced by President Musharraf with "crisis management" without explaining its operational.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> [[President of Pakistan|President]] and [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] [[General Pervez Musharraf]] created the office in ''[[Aiwan-e-Sadr]]'', and appoint civil bureaucrat Tariq Aziz as the first National Security Advisor.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> According to PILDT, since its reestablishment, Musharraf conveyed very few national security meetings, and most meetings were conducted to discuss political situations only.

[[File:2006 06 27 pakistan5 600.jpeg|thumb|250px|left|President Musharraf and his key NSC staff meeting with [[Condoleezza Rice]] and American NSC staff.]]
He resigned from the post of NSC secretariat when Musharraf resigned from presidency on 18 August 2008. He was succeeded by [[Mahmud Ali Durrani]] as the second National Security Advisor, directly reporting to the Prime minister Secretariat. Durrani was notably deposed by the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|prime minister]] [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]] in January 2009 for "not consulting the Prime Minister while giving statements on foreign relation matters". The matter in question was the acceptance by the Government of Pakistan of the Pakistani nationality of the sole surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and was in the custody of the Mumbai police.

===Abolition and suspension (2008–2009)===
After the incident, Prime Minister Gillani vowed to abolish the National Security Council in February 2009.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> The NSC remains to stay as statue on the [[Constitution of Pakistan|constitution]], however, the NSC secretariat is not active since [[2008 Pakistani general elections|2008]], but instead the [[Defence Committee of the Cabinet of Pakistan|Defence Committee of the Cabinet]] is re-activated in its place by the current government.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />

Since 2009, there has been no appointed new NSC adviser and no national security meetings have been conducted since then.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" /> Its operations and mandate has been integrated to the DCC meeting, nine occurring since 2009.<ref name="Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDT)" />

===Restorative status (2013–present)===
Upon conclusion of the [[2013 Pakistani general elections|general elections]] in 2013, the [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML(N)]]'s strategists indicated the restoration of the NSC to the [[News channels in Pakistan|news media]]. On immediate basis, Prime Minister Sharif appointed [[Sartaj Aziz]] as [[National Security Advisor (Pakistan)|National Security Advisor]] (NSA).<ref name="Bloomberg, 2013">{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Hanif|title=Cabinet appointed by Sharif|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-08/dar-appointed-pakistan-s-finance-minister-as-growth-falters.html|access-date=10 January 2015|agency=Bloomberg|date=7 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006194910/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-08/dar-appointed-pakistan-s-finance-minister-as-growth-falters.html|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> On 9 September 2013, Prime Minister Sharif proposed that dialogue with the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani military]] would create a [[Civil military relations|civil-military partnership]], putting the military and an elected government on the same page for the first time in [[History of Pakistan|Pakistan's history]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/nawaz-sharif-chairs-all-party-meeting-113090900192_1.html|title=Nawaz Sharif chairs All Party Meeting|newspaper=Business Standard India|date=9 September 2013|access-date=4 May 2018|via=Business Standard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023012153/http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/nawaz-sharif-chairs-all-party-meeting-113090900192_1.html|archive-date=23 October 2017|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref> After reconstituting the [[Cabinet Committee on National Security]] (C<sup>2</sup>NS), with [[Pakistani military|military]] gaining representation in the country's politics, the NSC came into effect as an influential policy institution.<ref name="Harvard University Press">{{cite book|last1=Shah|first1=Aqil|title=The Armed Forces and Democracy|date=2014|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Harvard, U.S|isbn=978-0-674-41977-3|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShihAwAAQBAJ&q=Jehangir+Karamat+National+Security+Council&pg=PA285|access-date=7 January 2015|chapter=Conclusion}}</ref>

Decision came from [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif|Sharif]] to reconstitute the NSC to improve [[Civil-military co-operation|coordination between the civil and military institutions]] in order to deal with a nagging [[War in North-West Pakistan|far-right insurgency]] that has killed and maimed thousands of Pakistanis over the last few years.<ref name="Express Tribune, 2013" />

According to the [[political scientist]] and [[Civil military relations|civic-military relations]] expert, Aqil Shah, Sharif finally did what exactly former [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|chairman joint chiefs]] [[Jehangir Karamat|General Karamat]] had called for in 1998.<ref name="Harvard University Press" /> Since then, the NSC meetings with Prime Minister Sharif have been taking place frequently.<ref name="tribune.com.pk" />

==See also==
* [[Constitution of Pakistan]]
* [[Pakistani Armed Forces|Pakistan Armed Forces]]

==Sources==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Additional works on NSC===
*{{cite web|last1=Durrani|first1=Mahmood Ali.|title=On National Security|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-203545-On-national-security|website=thenews.com.pk/|publisher=News International|access-date=13 January 2015|location=Islamabad, Pakistan|date=21 September 2013}}
*{{cite web|last1=Jaspal|first1=Zafar Nawaz|title=National Security Council: Implications for Pakistan's Political System|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/march/political.htm|website=defencejournal.com/|publisher=Defence Journal|access-date=13 January 2015|location=Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan|date=16 March 2002|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213358/http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/march/political.htm|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite news|last1=Hussain, PhD|first1=Dr. Riffat|title=Securing the system|url=http://herald.dawn.com/2013/10/09/securing-the-system-2.html|access-date=13 January 2015|work=Opinion articiel written and published by Karachi University's political science professor Dr. Riffat Hussain|agency=Herald, Dawn area studies|publisher=Herald, Dawn area studies|date=9 October 2013|location=Islamabad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220053548/http://herald.dawn.com/2013/10/09/securing-the-system-2.html|archive-date=20 February 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

===Constitutional analysis===

*{{cite web|last1=Constitution of Pakistan|title=Article: 152A National Security Council|url=http://pakistanconstitutionlaw.com/article-152a-national-security-council/|website=pakistanconstitutionlaw.com/|publisher=Supreme Court of Pakistan Press|access-date=13 January 2015|archive-date=6 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106062714/http://pakistanconstitutionlaw.com/article-152a-national-security-council/|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|last1=Government of Pakistan|title=Appointment of National Security Council|url=http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/post_12oct99/ce6_1999.html|website=pakistani.org/|publisher=Govt. of Pakistan|access-date=13 January 2015|date=12 October 1999}}

===Bibliography===

*{{cite book|last1=Henderson|first1=Annalisa|last2=Miller|first2=Isabel|editor1-last=Preston|editor1-first=Ian|editor2-last=Rowe|editor2-first=Annamarie|title=Political Chronology of Central, South, and East Asia|date=2006|publisher=Europa Publications|location=London [u.k]|isbn=1135356807|pages=277|chapter=Pakistan}}
*{{cite book|last1=Akbar|first1=M.K.|title=Pakistan from Jinnah to Sharif|date=1997|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=8170996740}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080402062316/http://www.infopak.gov.pk/nationalsecurity.aspx National Security Council of Pakistan]

{{Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of Pakistan}}
{{Cabinet of Pakistan}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:National Security Council Of Pakistan}}
[[Category:Political history of Pakistan]]
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