Pakistan - PPP Senator lashes at national internal security policy

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PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that the national internal security policy (NISP) announced early last year was seriously flawed that failed to acknowledge that internal security
policy is driven by a nation’s external security policy and that was why it was a non starter and the government itself did not believe in it.
The NISP unrealistically promised to reform 23, 000 madrassah in just one year, complete a host of legal reforms in 6 months and bring all 33 intelligence agencies under one roof but nothing had been done,
even it was not brought before the Parliament despite persistent demands.
A state’s Internal security policy cannot be de-linked from its external security policy he said and as long as a state pursues questionable external security policy goals its internal security policy will continue to confused, directionless and even counterproductive, he said.
Re-incarnation of the banned outfit LeT re-emerge as JuD as a humanitarian organization, the emergence of Moulana Masood Azhar of the banned Jaish Muhammad and the public declaration by Asmatulah Muawiya to direct his guns at Afghanistan without being challenged by the state demonstrate that we still cherish dubious external security goals. Pursuit of such external security objectives cannot help advance the cause of our internal security policy objectives, he said.
The NISP policy fails to address the issue of banned militant groups which have re-appeared under different names and as charities.
He said the claim to reform 23,000 madaris in just one year was laughable as the government has admitted in reply to parliamentary questions that record of thousands of registered madaris not available, which madaris received foreign funding and which one promoted extremism.
He said that NISP described ISI namely as also law enforcement agency and asked since when it had been made a law enforcing agency. The ISI was a premier intelligence agency that performed certain roles but law enforcement was not one of them. The law enforcement agencies are created by law and are subject to law but the Parliament had not yet made any law for the intelligence agency.
On another motion on civil service reforms he said that one reason for it was the appointment of non-cadre officers against cadre posts that bred resentment in the entire cadre.
Giving example he said the cadre post of DG of Military Lands and Cantonments which was a grade 21 post of the MLC cadre had been occupied for the past over 16 years by non-cadre officers that has demoralized the entire service.
He said that DG is BS 21 civilian cadre post of the ML&C Department and appointments to it are made by the Public Service Commission through CSS exams. Since 1924 the post has been held by civilian officer of the department representing the federal government until General Musharraf soon after take over appointed a serving military officer to it in 1999.
The continued retention of civilian cadre posts by a non-cadre officer is illegal, a violation of the Supreme Court order, a recipe to demoralize and undermine civilian structures and above all a conflict of interest, he said and called for a reversal of the illegal policy.