The meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) is delayed due to the scheduled open heart surgery of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday in London and it would be convened once the premier returns to the country, it was learnt. Sources said that the meeting of the NSC was to take place in the coming week to take stock of the situation arising out of the death of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike in Balochistan on May 21, 2016. Sources revealed that it would be convened when the prime minister is back from London on the advice of his doctors.
Pakistani civilian and military leadership have strongly condemned the drone strike by summoning US Ambassador David Hale on May 23, 2016. "The NSC meeting will discuss the overall security situation, especially with respect to the latest US drone strike in which Mullah Mansour was killed...the civil and military leadership will formulate a clear policy on drone attacks and on Afghan peace process", said an official source.
To be presided over by the prime minister, the meeting will also be attended by senior cabinet ministers, including the Defence Minister, the Finance Minister, the Minister for Information, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the ISI Director General, National Security Adviser, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Secretary and Secretary of National Security Division.
To-date only five NSC meetings have taken place - the last one took place on April 6, 2016 after a gap of 17 months. According to analysts, the NSC which is the highest forum for civil-military co-ordination on national security should be conducted regularly to assess the security situation of the country and take decisions accordingly. Lieutenant General Talat Masood (Retd), a senior analyst, suggested that the NCS should meet every month to formulate policies by taking input from all stakeholders, adding there must be co-ordination among all the state institutions on important issues of national importance.