MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE AND DEFENCE PRODUCTION HELD ON 17th JULY, 2013.

An in-house consultative meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production was held on 17th July, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. in Committee Room No. 1, Parliament House, Islamabad. The Meeting was presided over by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman SSC on Defence and Defence Production. Following Members attended the meeting:-

1) Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed - Chairman

2) Senator Sabir Ali Baloch, Deputy Chairman - Member

3) Senator Raja Mohammad Zafar-ul-Haq, LOH - Member

4) Senator Farhatullah Babar - Member

5) Senator Ch. Shujaat Hussain - Member

6) Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel - Member

7) Senator Sehar Kamran - Member

8) Senator Sardar Ali Khan - Member

9) Senator Col. ® Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi - Member

10) Senator Syeda Sughra Hussain Imam - Special Invitee

2. The meeting started with the recitation from the Holy Quran.

3. The agenda before the Committee was as under:-

i) To formulate work plan of Senate Defence Committee for the next 6 months (August 2013 – January 2014)

ii) Discussion on the visits of the Committee to:

a. Afghanistan – September, 2013

b. Germany – January 2014

iii) Discussion on the Abbottabad Commission Report.

iv) Discussion on the news item regarding separation of Aviation Department from Ministry of Defence published in Daily Dawn dated 7th July, 2013.

v) Next steps by the Committee on the basis of the Policy Seminar on “Defending Pakistan through Cyber Security Strategy”.

vi) Any other item with the permission of the Chair.

4. This was an in-house, in-camera consultative meeting in which Ministry of Defence was not asked to be present. However, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus who had come to attend an earlier meeting of the Working Group on Cyber Security was allowed to attend the meeting. For an authentic and first hand account of the leaked Abbottabad Commission Report, Ambassador (R) Ashraf Jahangir Qazi, a Member of the Abbottabad Commission, was invited for testimony before the Committee.

5. Taking up the agenda item No. (i) and (ii), the Committee approve the draft work plan with addition of one meeting on the pending issues before the Committee on the proposal of Senator Farhatullah Babar. Following is the work plan of the Committee for the next six months:-

Work Plan of Senate Committee on Defence & Defence Production

August 2013 – January 2014

August 2013: Public Hearing on intelligence reform and reorganization.

Presentation of bill on Cyber Security

September 2013:  Defence of Pakistan Day: Visit to the Grave of Maj. Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) – September 6.

Visit to Kabul (Sept. 10-11), sponsored by PILDAT.

Visit to Defence Production facilities in Wah/Taxila/NTC, Haripur

Presentation of Cyber Security Strategy as part of national security strategy.

September 2013: Meeting on the pending issues of earlier / requisitioned meetings.

October 2013: Visit to Karachi Shipyard invited by Pakistan Navy.

Presentation of proposals regarding intelligence/national security reform and reorganization.

Public Hearing on Defence Production.

Defence Reports Workshop

October 24, 2013: Policy Seminar on Nuclear Weapons & Foreign Policy PIPS Auditorium, 3-5 pm. Keynote Speaker: Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia Centre for Nuclear Non-proliferation & Disarmament, Canberra

November 2013: Review of National Security Policy of Government.

Policy Seminar on Civil Military relations in light of the leadership transition in the armed forces (after appointment of new Army/Air Force Chiefs and Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

December 2013: Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) meeting in Islamabad (8-10 Dec) hosted by the Senate with Chairman, Defence Committee as Chairman of the Organizing Committee on behalf of the Senate.

Policy Seminar on Pakistan, Afghanistan and the NATO/US withdrawal of Afghanistan in 2014.

January 2014: Visit to Germany and EU/NATO Headquarters in Brussels, sponsored by Konrad-Adeneur Stiftung (KAS).

6. The discussion on the remaining agenda items especially Abbottabad Commission Report was completely in-camera and all the staff including verbatim recording staff was asked to leave. The discussion is thus not recorded. However, the written testimony of Ambassador Ashraf Jahangir Qazi is being made part of the record.

7. After a detailed discussion, questions and answers as well as heated debate on divergent view points, the Committee decided to urge the Government to make the Full and Final Report officially public and lay the recommendations in the Parliament which had taken up the issue in a joint sitting after which the Commission was set up.

8. On the agenda item regarding uncertainties and difficulties created due to separation of the Aviation related departments including PIA, Civil Aviation and ASF from the Ministry of Defence, the Leader of the House in Senate, Senator Raja Mohammad Zafar-ul-Haq said that he will convey the concerns of the Committee to the Prime Minister. The Chairman of the Committee was of the view that it is a vitally important decision taken in unprecedented haste without consultation with the stakeholders. Referring to the news item and other information, he said that the appointment of a person with dual nationality as head and inclusion of some Members in the PIA Board who were potential buyers or business partners tantamount to conflict of interest which will create negative perceptions about the government. The Leader of the House and Member of the Committee Senator Raja Mohammad Zafar-ul-Haq said that he will bring the matter into the notice of the government.

9. On the last agenda item regarding Cyber Security Strategy, the Chairman of the Committee informed that just before the Committee meeting, 1st meeting of the Working Group was held in which all the stakeholders including from the defence quarters (M/o Defence and JS HQ), academia (HEC, LUMS, NUST and other universities), professional bodies (PISA, CSTF) Ministries of Law, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and IT as well as FIA and Police were present and it was decided that a Bill will be drafted to be laid in the two Houses besides preparing a comprehensive strategy document.

10. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to and for the Chair.
 
(Amjed Pervez)                                  (Mushahid Hussain Sayed)
Special Secretary /                             Chairman Committee
Secretary Committee