NSA announces cabinet’s approval of Pakistan’s first National Security Policy
National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday announced that the federal cabinet has approved Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy, just a day after it was approved by the National Security Committee.
The NSA also congratulated the nation on approval of the policy.
“I congratulate the entire nation as it is very difficult to devise policies if a country’s vision on national security is not clear,” he said while addressing the media alongside Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chauhdry in Islamabad.
The national security policy is an umbrella document that would provide direction for the formulation of sectoral policies and strategies, he added.
The NSA termed the move as a historic achievement and hoped the policy will guide sectoral policies to fulfill national security objectives of Pakistan.
“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,” said Yusuf in a series of tweets.
Moeed Yusuf also thanked the civil and military leadership for their contribution and support. He also attributed the successful drafting of the National Security Policy to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s dedication and encouragement, saying 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,” Yusuf further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the policy draft has not been made public yet. The NSA said that Imran Khan will launch the public version of the policy in due course.
DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar also lauded the approval of the policy saying that it is an important milestone in strengthening the national security of the country.
“The comprehensive framework recognises interlinkages between various strands of national security, imperative to meet emerging challenges in [the] evolving global environment through a whole of government effort,” he said, assuring that the armed forces of Pakistan will continue playing their role in achieving the vision laid out in the security policy.