Taking cognisance of construction of Tactical Command and Operation Centre Compound (TCOCC) by the American Army Corps Engineer at Jinnah International Airport Karachi, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) has convened a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the matter.
Reports about the construction of the said Tactical Command Centre surfaced in a section of the media on February 26 and in response, the defence secretary and spokesman for the Foreign Ministry declined having proper information about the development.
On February 28, the US embassy issued a statement about Pakistani Customs Drug Enforcement Cell Project.
It was stated that at the request of the government of Pakistan, specifically, the Pakistani Customs Drug Enforcement Cell, Karachi, and the US Department of Defence was funding the construction of a “Customs Tactical Command and Operations Centre” based at JinnahInternationalAirport in Karachi.
The US Army Corps of Engineers’ recently announced intent to solicit a Request for Proposals for the project using the US government Federal Business Opportunities website.
The award for the project will be completed in the summer of 2014.
This sparked a heated debate in the Upper House of the parliament which resulted in exchange of hot words between PCNS Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, resultantly, Rabbani staged walked out of the House for not letting his sentiments be expressed.
Even the chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production Mushahid Hussain Syed criticised the government for granting permission to the US Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of TCOCC at KarachiAirport.
Well placed sources, said the PCNS had included the issue of grant of permission to the US Army Corps of Engineers to build TCOCC at Jinnah International Airport Karachi to exchange information with Pakistan Customs Drug Enforcement Cell at the top of its agenda of meeting to be held tomorrow.
The sources said the committee had summoned officials of the concerned ministries and their departments to explain the situation.
They have also asked to come before the committee equipped with relevant information and answers of the possible queries from the members.
Moreover, the PCNS would also deliberate on the finalisation of its report on National Security.