National Security Policy designed to leverage symbiotic links: Moeed

ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yousaf on Monday informed the Parliamentary Committee on National Security that the National Security Policy is designed to leverage the symbiotic relationship among human security, economic security and military security with the safety of citizens as its principal focus.

As the opposition parties boycotted the briefing, some cabinet members and PTI parliamentarians also did not attend it. Prominent amongst the absents were Federal Ministers Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shaikh Rashid Ahmad and Hammad Azhar, the chief ministers of the four provinces and the AJK prime minister. The Parliamentary Committee on National Security met under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Monday afternoon for a briefing on the upcoming National Security Policy of the government.

Dr Moeed Yousaf presented details of the policy to the committee. He informed the committee that the process of consultations with stakeholders for the formulation of the National Security Policy was initiated in 2014 after the establishment of the National Security Division. In 2018, a drafting committee was established. 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. This was followed by consultations with over 600 academics, analysts, civil society members and students across Pakistan to make the policy process inclusive.

He said the policy is expected to be a dynamic document which will be reviewed each year and on the transition of government to help keep the National Security Policy abreast with policy priorities in a fast-changing global environment.

The NSA said the upcoming National Security Policy would be the first document that outlines the challenges and opportunities facing Pakistan in the coming years, while providing policy guidelines for actualizing opportunities.

Asad Qaiser said the formulation of a comprehensive National Security Policy by the government reflects its priority for realizing the dream of a secure and prosperous country. He appreciated the fact that taking public representatives on board on national policies is vital for strengthening democratic institutions in the country. He said the upcoming policy would be a document that envisages challenges and prospects the country has in the coming years.

The participants of the meeting endorsed the National Security Division’s efforts in this regard and expressed their optimism that the policy would lead to an even more secure and prosperous Pakistan as the country is presently facing external as well as internal challenges, a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat said.

The meeting was attended by some federal ministers, the leader of the House in Senate, members of National Assembly and Senate, senior officers of the National Security, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Interior Divisions.