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ISLAMABAD: PM Imran Khan’s cabinet approved on Tuesday a security plan described by the government as Pakistan’s first national security policy (NSP) aimed at guiding the country’s economic foreign and defence policies.
“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,” Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s national security adviser (NSA) said in a series of tweets.
The policy was approved a day earlier at the meeting of the national security committee (NSC), the government’s top consultative and decision-making body for coordinating issues pertaining to national security.
The five-year policy document covering 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. The policy, however, has not been publicly shared yet.
Major Gen. Babar Iftikhar, the army’s spokesperson, said the policy was an important milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s national security. “Pakistan’s armed forces will play their due part in achieving the vision laid out in the policy,” he said.
The policy reportedly 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. Over 600 academics, analysts, civil society members and students across Pakistan have been consulted to make the policy process inclusive.