Updated on
Summary
A bill to seek legal cover to the Nuclear Command Authority Ordinance 2007 is being presented in National Assembly today. President of Pakistan will be the chairman of the authority under the bill. The authority was established in 2007 through an ordinance.Nuclear Command Authority was promulgated in 2007, however, a controversy stirred by a recent scathing article by journalist Seymour Hersh, was said to have forced top leadership to urgently get the now two-year old ordinance to be immediately wrought into law to allay international fears, both real and imaginary. NA Standing Committee on Defence outlined a draft of the bill and will present it in NA session today. According to the recommended committee draft, the president will be the chairman of the Authority with the prime minister as the vice chairman while ministers for foreign affairs, defence, finance, interior, and three services chiefs, chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, DG Strategic Planning Division (SPD) will be its members.The nuclear command authority is being given sweeping powers under the clause of indemnity as no law suite, prosecution, or other legal proceedings shall lie against the authority, its chairman, members and employees in respect of anything, which is done in a good faith or intended to be done under this law or the rules, instructions or directions made or issued.The Authority would have the powers to authorize possession and use of firearms to security force personnel who are in the service of the Authority. But, the new law is silent over the important issue of who would hold the power to delay the pushing of the button in case of a nuclear threat from any country in a state of war.
