ISLAMABAD In a year when Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has promised to step down as head of the military and continue only as a civilian president, his decision to back the Parliament's approval of a new national security council, or NSC, raises fresh concerns over the future of democracy.
The military has been in power for almost half of the nuclear-armed South Asian country's history as an independent state. The NSC promises to greatly extend the influence of military generals in key decisions even when the military is not formally running the country. NSC members, including senior generals from the three defense services, could eventually decide on key matters, perhaps even before Parliamentary approval.
Pakistan's opposition politicians say the NSC would weaken the cause of democracy. Supporters of the military argue that a permanent role for the generals must be established to prevent future military intervention in civilian politics.