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National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday announced that the federal cabinet has given the green light to the country’s first-ever National Security Policy, which was approved by the National Security Committee a day earlier.
“It is a truly historic achievement; a citizen-centric comprehensive [national security] policy with economic security at the core will now be pursued in earnest,” Yusuf said in a series of tweets.
The policy, which has not been shared publicly yet, will help guide sectoral policies for the fulfillment of the country’s national security objectives, the adviser said.
He thanked the civil and military leadership for their support and input, adding that the policy would “never have come to light without Prime Minister Imran Khan’s constant leadership and encouragement”.
“The success of the policy will lie in its implementation for which a plan has been developed,” the NSA further said, adding that a public version of it will be launched by the premier in due course.
On Monday, the National Security Committee, which is the government’s top-most consultative and decision-making body for coordinating issues pertaining to national security, approved the policy.
The session, presided over by Prime Minister Imran, was attended by the federal ministers for foreign affairs, defence, information and broadcasting, interior, finance and human rights, the national security adviser, services chiefs and senior officials.
The five-year policy document covering the period 2022-26 is being flaunted by the government as the first-ever strategy paper of its kind that sets out the state’s national security vision and guidelines for the attainment of those goals. It will guide the government’s foreign, defence and economic policies and decision-making.
It reportedly seeks to leverage the symbiotic linkages among human security, economic security and military security with safety and prosperity of citizens being at the centre of the whole-of-government approach.
It covers both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including economy, food, water, military security, terrorism, population growth and dealings with the external world, especially major powers.
The document places special emphasis on economic diplomacy as the focus of Pakistan’s foreign policy aimed at avoiding being sucked into bloc politics in a world order under transition. It has been prepared by the National Security Division.
Several rounds of feedback consultations on multiple drafts were held with all state institutions, including provincial governments and the governments of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Over 600 academics, analysts, civil society members and students across Pakistan have been consulted to make the policy process inclusive.
A draft of the policy was earlier this month also shared with the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. The meeting was, however, boycotted by the opposition parties.
The National Security Policy is expected to be a dynamic document that will be reviewed each year and on the transition of government to help keep it abreast with its policy priorities in a fast-changing global environment. Work on the policy began in 2014.