National Command Authority (Pakistan) - Background

Background

The Government of Pakistan felt the need to establish an administrative authority after Pakistan's first publicly announced atomic tests, codename Chagai-I and Chagai-II, on May 28 and May 30 of 1998 in Ras Koh weapon-testing labs in the Chagai Hills range of the District Chagai and Kharan Desert of the Balochistan Province. The roots of such mechanism traced back to 1970s when Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto authorized the atomic bomb project to keep the atomic projects way from being exploited, politicized, or even infiltration from the enemy powers attempting to sabotage the atomic project.

It is alleged by the former chief of army staff General Mirza Aslam Beg in 1994, that the Command was established in 1972 by former Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto when he authorized the atomic bomb project. The Joint Staff Headquarters (JS HQ) served its combatant operational command and is chaired by the Prime minister. In 1994, General Beg retains: " (...).... The NCA determines the state of readiness which has to be maintained at all times... (sic)... and lays down in great detail the policy of how the various components will be placed, protected and safeguarded.".

In April 1999, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraff developed a unified central command system to use nuclear and missile technology as part of the defence and security of nuclear assets under the complete government control. Finally, the command was formally established and given commissioned on February 3, 2000 after approval by Pakistan's National Security Council. The command compromises the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the Development Control Committee (DCC), and a Strategic Plans Division (SPD). The Prime minister— Chief Executive (Head of Government) of the country served its chairman while other members of the included the high-profile ministers of foreign affairs, defense (military production), economic, science, and interior, the chairman joint chiefs staff, the chiefs of the armed forces, and the director-general of the SPD. The DCC includes the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee (as deputy chairman of DCC), the chiefs of the armed forces, the director general of the SPD, and a "representative of the strategic organization and scientific community (science adviser)".

Since 1970s onward, the National Command Authority is responsible for policy formulation and will exercise employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organizations. It consists of an Employment Control Committee and a Development Control Committee, as well as the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) which acts as its Secretariat. The Strategic Plans Division is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile. It was created the same year as the NCA was formed.

Their directives are to be operationalized by a new Strategic Plans Division (SPD) under the control of a director-general of the rank of Lieutenant-General (Air Marshal or Vice-Admiral) in charge of the management and administration of the tactical and strategic nuclear forces. The current director-general of the SPD is Lieutenant-General (retired) Khalid Kidwai of Pakistan Army.

Since its establishment, General Pervez Musharraf, as President, had served its first chairman. However, after the 2008 General Elections, the Pakistani lawmakers introduced a new law which was passed unanimously by the Parliament. The bill placed the NCA's Authority under PM’s command.