LAHORE, June 16: Has the National Security Council been quietly consigned to the dustbin of history? Or, the new government will like to call a meeting of this body and discuss the security situation after attacks by pilot-less US planes on the tribal areas?

Nobody is in a position to say anything about the existence or otherwise of the NSC, or whether it would meet in the near future.

“No meeting is being called in the foreseeable future,” a senior official associated with the NSC said on Monday.

The NSC was set up through an act of parliament in 2004 with the main objective of averting any future military intervention. It was also supposed to review the security situation and propose appropriate measures to set it right.

President Musharraf wanted to set up the NSC through a constitutional amendment, but later it was brought into being through a simple legislation when the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal refused to support the body as a part of the Constitution.

The NSC is headed by the president while the prime minister, the Senate chairman, the National Assembly speaker, the opposition leader, all four chief ministers, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and three services chiefs are its members.The president can call the NSC on his own or on the advice of the prime minister.

According to official sources, the last meeting of the NSC was held about 10 months ago, much before the elections.

“No meeting of the NSC is on the cards,” he said.

“I don’t know,” said a senior official associated with the NSC when asked about the future of the controversial organization.

“Has the NSC become redundant,” he was asked.

“The new government is in a better position to answer the question,” replied the official.

Asked if it was not the time to call a meeting of the NSC when the Afghan president was hurling threats and US planes were attacking Pakistan’s tribal areas, the official said the question should be addressed to the politicians.

The PPP, the PML-N and many other parties are opposed to the NSC as they think it encroaches upon the jurisdiction of parliament. They want its disbandment so that the parliament could work freely.

There is little possibility of the president calling a session of the NSC as most of its members will not like to attend it.