  We report 0.9-1.4 micron spectroscopic observations of NGC1068 collected
during the commissioning phase of the near infrared camera spectrometer (NICS)
of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). These yielded the first
extragalactic measurement of [PII] (1.188 micron) line emission. In the central
0.75"x2" the [FeII]/[PII] line-intensity ratio is close to unity, similar to
that measured in the Orion bar and a factor of about 20 smaller than in
supernova remnants. This indicates that most of iron is locked into grains and,
therefore, argues against shock excitation being the primary origin of [FeII]
line emission in the central regions of NGC1068.
  We propose the [FeII]/[PII] ratio as a simple and effective tool to study and
perhaps resolve the long debated questions related to the origin of [FeII] line
emission and, more generally, to constrain the role of shock excitation in
active galaxies.
