ISLAMABAD: All 92 officials of the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) have refused to join the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), and have filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against their ‘forced’ posting to the counterterrorism authority and the dissolution of NCMC.

NCMC was dissolved on Jan 15, 2016, through a notification from the interior ministry. Its 92 officials – from the federal capital and four provincial capitals – were transferred to Nacta, while funds allocated to NCMC had been transferred to Nacta in November 2015.

The sanctioned strength of NCMC was 192, but only 92 officials were working at the cell.

File petition against dissolution of NCMC

Known as the Federal Control Room since 1947, NCMC was reorganised in October 2000, a year after Gen Pervez Musharraf came to power. Its functions included crisis control, intelligence coordination and data management, monitoring counterterrorism and the security situation, and coordinating with foreign missions with regards to such matters.

It was reportedly mostly headed by military officials, although the last NCMC director general was a grade 20 police official.

According to the petition, NCMC officials were not given a choice between joining Nacta and being transferred to the surplus pool of the Establishment Division for further posting.

It stated that NCMC is an attached department of the Ministry of Interior, and its employees are civil servants, while Nacta is an autonomous body attached to the Prime Minister’s Office and its employees are not civil servants.

The petition said NCMC is delivering the interior ministry’s operational functions and acts as the nerve centre of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Its functions include the maintenance of crime data, the verification of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) documents, cross-matching fingerprints and facial recognition through Nadra, coordinating with law enforcement for VVIP and VIP security, dealing with matters related to deportation and the abduction of foreigners, missing persons cases, issuing threat alerts, maintaining security during Muharram processions and blocking illegal SIM cards.

The petition claimed that the former Nacta national coordinator Hamid Ali Khan on Jul 9, 2015, got the summary for the merger of NCMC with Nacta approved through misrepresentation.

It said the summary was not routed through the proper channels and should have been routed through the cabinet secretary and Establishment Division.

It asserted that since NCMC was working under the interior ministry, Nacta’s national coordinator could not have initiated any summary related to the transfer of funds or officials of NCMC.

The petition asked the court to set aside the notification on the transfer of NCMC officials to Nacta, and said the funds transferred to the counterterrorism authority should be retrieved by NCMC.

The prime minister, the cabinet, finance and Establishment Division secretaries, the NCMC director general, Mr Khan and the incumbent head of Nacta Ihsan Ghani were cited as respondents.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2016