Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has finalised Pakistan’s first-ever national security policy document on Monday.
The members of the National Security Council (NSC), the country’s top security body headed by the prime minister, approved the ‘National Security Policy (NSP) 2022-2026’ during the meeting.
National Security Advisor Dr Moeed Yusuf presented the document at the 36th meeting of NSC attended by top civilian and military leadership. Briefing the participants, including PM Khan and three services chiefs, Yusuf said that Pakistan was shifting to a comprehensive national security framework in which ensuring the safety, security, and dignity of the citizen of Pakistan was the ultimate purpose of national security.
“To ensure this citizen-centric approach to security, the NSP has put economic security at the core. A stronger economy would create additional resources that would, in turn, be judiciously distributed to further bolster military and human security” Dr Yusuf said.
Historic development for Pakistan
PM Imran Khan described the formulation of national security policy and its approval “a historic moment” for Pakistan. “The policy must guide all organs of the government to ensure that their efforts are synchronised.” He also instructed the national security adviser to present an implementation progress report to the NSC every month. Khan also emphasised that “the security of Pakistan rests in the security of its citizens” and reiterated that “Pakistan is well prepared to meet any internal and external threats.”
Dynamic document
The NSC participants were informed that the crucial document had been prepared through a “whole-of-government effort over the last seven years, and included extensive consultations among federal government institutions, with all provinces, and the academia and private sector.”
A detailed implementation framework has been formulated under which the National Security Division would review the progress of the document in collaboration with relevant ministries and departments.
The NSP would 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 earlier said.
The document would now be presented to the cabinet for final approval. A public version of the document will be released in due course, the PM Office said.
