October 12, 2003	Sunday	Sha'aban 15, 1424

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LAHORE, Oct 11: The first meeting of the National Security Council, a body opposition parties say will encroach upon the sovereignty of parliament, will be held by the end of the current month, authentic official sources told Dawn on Saturday.

The meeting is being called by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, who, under Article 152-A of the Constitution, is the chairman of the council.

A secretariat of the NSC has been set up in the Cabinet Division in Islamabad.

The NSC has been functional since the promulgation of the Legal Framework Order about a year ago, the sources said. However, its meeting was not called because of the dialogue between the government and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, they added.

At present, the NSC is a constitutional organization, but the MMA says it ought to be set up under an act of parliament so that the bicameral legislature could disband the same with a simple majority as and when it is not needed.

Another reason for not calling a meeting, the sources said, was the absence of an opposition leader in the National Assembly, though it was not an inhibiting factor.

Under the Constitution, the NSC is a forum for consultation on strategic matters pertaining to the sovereignty, integrity and security of the state; and those relating to democracy, governance and inter-provincial harmony.

While the president is the chairman of the council, the prime minister, the chairman of the Senate, the speaker of the National Assembly, the opposition leader in the lower house of parliament, all four chief ministers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the three services chiefs are the members.

Meetings of the NSC may be convened by the president either in his discretion or on the advice of the prime minister or on a request from other members. Even the opposition leader can request a meeting of the council, the sources explained. They said it would be an “advisory” body, not a decision-making forum.