Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Command Authority on May 9, following India's targeting of at least four Pakistani air bases. This response was triggered by Pakistan's recent cross-border missile attacks that struck several military and civilian locations, according to reports from Reuters. In contrast to these claims, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar denied reports suggesting that a meeting of the country’s National Command Authority (NCA) had been scheduled.
What is National Command Authority in Pakistan?
The National Command Authority in Pakistan is the top body of civilian and military officials. It was established in February 2000 by the National Security Council of Pakistan and is headquartered in Islamabad. It plays an important role in making security decisions, including those related to the country's nuclear arsenal.
The National Command Authority (NCA) is chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and includes the following members: Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the Defence Minister; General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of the Joint Staff Committee; General Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff; Admiral Naved Ashraf, Chief of Naval Staff; Air Chief Marshal Zahir Ahmad Babar; Ishaq Dar, the Foreign Minister; and Mohsin Raza Naqvi, the Home Minister.
Objective
The main objective of this authority is to control the use, development, and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and strategic missiles. This authority is responsible for making nuclear policy, missile programme, strategic decision making, and security control. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, while civilians seem to play a crucial role in the NCA structure, military leadership is likely to dominate nuclear decision-making during wartime or a military crisis.
Responsibilities of National Commond Authority (NCA)
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Decision-making on nuclear and missile policy issues
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Laying down policy for strategic nuclear forces and organisations
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Overseeing nuclear and missile programmes
The military conflict between India and Pakistan has continued unabated since India's May 7 strikes on terror camps and Pakistan's subsequent shelling of border areas. India’s strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, were in retaliation for the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam town in which 26 people, all tourists except for a local ‘ponywallah’, were killed. Terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.