Retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua has been appointed as the new National Security Advisor (NSA) of Pakistan, signalling the powerful army’s increasing grip on security affairs of the country and its dealings with India.The government yesterday notified the appointment of Mr Janjua as the NSA, taking away the position from the mild-mannered Sartaj Aziz who will now concentrate on foreign affairs. “Janjua’s appointment has been confirmed and his status will be equal to the minister of a state,” an official said. Mr Janjua had retired earlier this month as chief of Southern Command which is based at Quetta in Balochistan province. His appointment will increase army’s hold on the security affairs of the country. Mr Janjua’s immediate task will be to concentrate on security ties with India in the east and Afghanistan in the west. The NSA is an important job and offers direct access to the civilian side of key foreign countries, which only awkwardly have been able to officially liaise with the military thus far. As NSA, Sartaj Aziz played a frontline role in reaching out to Afghanistan and India — and did so in a manner that reflected the civilian government’s priorities. It was Prime Minister Sharif’s decision at the time of the cabinet formation in 2013 to retain the foreign and defence ministry portfolios for himself that set in motion a chain of events that have led to the present sorry state of affairs.
Compounding that original mistake, Mr Aziz was made both special adviser on foreign affairs and NSA — merging foreign policy with national security to no obvious benefit and allowing both the Foreign Office and the NSA position to suffer.Then, it was the listless foreign policy performance of the government that created the opportunity for deep military intrusion. The government is bereft of foreign policy ideas, as demonstrated once again by the White House meeting with US President Barack Obama last week. Even on India, the only foreign policy issue the prime minister has shown sustained interest in, there have been a series of errors, culminating with Ufa, which has virtually eliminated any possibility of civilian initiatives on India. If the military has eagerly grabbed space for itself, it is partly because a three-term prime minister and his veteran advisers have proved utterly inept in the foreign policy and national security domains.The question now is, what new domestic repercussions will there be with Mr Janjua’s appointment. Coming straight as the recently retired general is from Balochistan, how much influence will he exert on government policy and indeed its approach to the troubled province?
pk.shafaqna.com
