Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that climate change, food security and economic stability are among the new challenges to national security that require immediate attention and collaborative efforts.
The premier expressed the views on Wednesday at Islamabad Security Dialogue where he launched the National Security Division’s (NSD) advisory portal connecting over 100 think tanks and university departments with policymakers. The portal is the first national effort to involve the country’s influential research institutes and scholars in the national policymaking on domestic and international issues.
It was for the first time that Pakistani leadership focused on the economic, environmental and human security than the traditional security dimensions. Pakistan is slowly realising that “National security today includes diverse aspects that have been ignored in the past, including climate change, food security and economic prosperity,” the premier said. Climate change, food security and social welfare are the focus of the government policies, he said citing the new green jobs, plantation campaigns and Ehsaas initiative that aims to lift people out of extreme poverty.
Regional connectivity and prosperity
Detailing the comprehensive dimensions of security, Imran Khan defined that the country’s new economic-strategic vision was focused on peace, regional connectivity and development partnerships with the world.
Discussing the regional situation, Khan said that economic prosperity and connectivity to Central Asia couldn’t be materialised until there is peace in the region. “Peace in Afghanistan is the key to unlocking the connectivity potential of the region,” he said. Normalisation of ties between Pakistan and India after the resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue would “benefit India as much as Pakistan and the whole region” and create new regional economic opportunities, Pakistani premier said.
Inclusive policy
The first-ever national security dialogue is the brainchild of Pakistan’s national security advisor Dr Moeed Yusuf, who in his talk urged for a more inclusive policy approach to utilise the immense talent that Pakistan had. “Economic security should be at the core of Pakistan’s comprehensive security framework,” Dr Yusuf said. “Connectivity, development partnerships and regional peace” are the requisites that would help Pakistan achieve economic security, he said.
The unique venture aims to bring together global and local intelligentsia to debate Pakistan’s critical national security issues, and generate ideas to work towards combined solutions to complex challenges. Pakistan’s National Security Division is organising the Islamabad Security Dialogue in collaboration with its advisory board comprising five leading think tanks including Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI), Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) and National Defence University (NDU)’s Institute of Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis (ISSRA).
Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will be the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference in which top scholars and diplomats would also participate.
