Benazir meets Israel's UN ambassador

Re: Benazir meets Israel's UN ambassador

Actually both of you are right.

Prince Abbas you're right NCC is not a reserve force nor NCC members reservists. And your disgust at the thought of them being reservists is also rather logical, because reservists are formally and fully trained as their regular fellow servicemen, only diff is they are off active duty and train and serve a minimum prescribed duration annually or so i think. In Pakistan, there is no reserve force per se the way there are in western countries esp US. Only reservists in Pakistan are ex-servicemen,officers and men who remain on reserve lists for certain periods after retirement, and called to service if needed.

However, Captain is also right that NCC's scope does define their supportive role to the armed forces in time of need/emergency/war. But, the support that NCC is trained/equipped for is nowhere more than behind second lines of defense, rather inside cities to assist first aid, public order, rescue etc which is closer to civil defence role. They are slightly trained in drill and firearms and their support on frontlines could be required in a time of extreme desperation only, when all support elements are exhausted.

While on the subject, i do feel NCC with an overhauled role should be re-introduced and the military should hold a reserve force like US too.