Pakistan’s Strategic Assets Completely Safe, Secure: FO
'Pakistan Times' Diplomatic Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s strategic assets are completely safe and secure and the highest level of institutionalized protection is accorded to them.

They are under strong multi-layered decision making, organizational administrative and command and control structures since 1998, Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms Tasnim Aslam said while dismissing the concerns raised by certain inspired and tendentious reports in the western media about the safety of Pakistan’s strategic assets.

In a statement issued here Saturday, she said Pakistan’s command and control structures are not controlled by individual personalities but are institutionalized and multi-layered to ensure safety and security at multiple levels.

She said consistent with its obligations as a nuclear weapons state, Pakistan formally instituted an elaborate Nuclear Command and Control mechanism in February 2000 that comprises National Command Authority (NCA), Strategic Plan Division (SPD) and Strategic Forces Command.

The NCA is responsible for policy formulation, employment and development of strategic systems as well as for the security of the strategic assets, she said and added this apex decision making body is under the chairmanship of the President with Prime Minister as its Vice Chairman.

The Spokesperson said it has two committees - the Employment Control Committee, and the Development Control Committee, functioning separately for policy formulation, employment and development aspects respectively. The SPD is the secretariat for the NCA, she added.

She said Foreign Minister is the Deputy Chairman of the Employment Control Committee whose politico-military composition includes as Members the Minister for Defence, Minister for Interior, Minister for Finance, Chairman JCSC, COAS/VCOAS, CNS, CAS and DG SPD as its Secretary.

The SPD has an elaborate security division which includes a counter intelligence network to safeguard the activities of strategic organizations, the Spokesperson said and added it also has in-place a dedicated multi-layered security apparatus to safeguard strategic assets.

Personnel reliability is also a high priority area to which necessary resources are allocated, she added.

The Spokesperson said these reports, therefore, have no basis and are apparently prompted by questionable motives, adding that Pakistan’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation is strong and abiding.

She said this commitment will be maintained despite the evident bias against our deterrent capability and our legitimate interest in development and access to civil nuclear energy for economic development.

Rice, Musharraf Contact

According to anther report, the Foreign Office Friday confirmed that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had spoken to President General Pervez Musharraf on the morning of August 9.

Dr. Rice discussed the August 9-11 Joint Peace Jirga being in Kabul, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement issued here in response to queries.

During the contact the President stated that he fully endorsed the Joint Peace Jirga process, the statement said, adding that the President mentioned that he could not attend the Peace Jirga because of his engagements in the capital.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz represented Pakistan at the inaugural session of the Jirga in the Afghan capital.

According to the spokesperson, Dr. Rice also referred to the media reports about imposition of emergency and she was told that there was no such plan and media reports were speculative.

The President was continuing to meet political leadership of the country especially to discuss elections expected to be held in the later part of this year, the statement said.●