Another general at the table
Few people will argue against Sartaj Aziz being given a break on the national security front. Foreign policy is a hard enough portfolio, especially with Afghan and Indian relations going south – not to mention inter foreign office/ministry turf issues owing to his limited authority. And, of course, he is a little past his prime. Juggling national security simultaneously – at a time of an existential war and hostile, belligerent neighbours – would keep even a full-time, dedicated adviser on his toes. That, at least, explains the prime minister’s decision, even if working out the timing is still tricky.
But the issue has naturally triggered debate owing to the choice of the new national security adviser, recently retired Lt Gen Naseer Khan Janjua. And, significantly, it is not his credentials that have raised eyebrows. He is ‘respected’ for his assignment in Balochistan. He was president of the prestigious National Defence University; the military’s premier education institution and heavyweight think-tank. And he was an integral part of the army’s India-centric Azm-e-Nau exercise, so he’s more than adequately qualified for the assignment. Yet the fact that the prime minister could not find a suitable civilian for the job has not gone unnoticed.
The foreign press has been quick to point this out, of course. Once again there is needless talk, in the international media, of Pakistan’s military ‘tightening its control’ over the security apparatus, etc. Surely there would be some, if not many, suitable candidates form some of the numerous civilian agencies that also litter our security landscape. IB, for example, is often credited for being up to scratch in its outlook and operational capability. That it cannot produce one officer capable of being the national security adviser seems odd, to say the least. Pakistan is already in a chastised situation internationally. It can do without controversy that has no basis in facts. The government must also realise this. It must not only brush up its security posture, but also adopt a more politically correct outlook, and make sure the right institutions are doing the right jobs.
