The approval of the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) on Monday reinstates both civil and military leaderships’ commitment towards working together for the security of Pakistan. It must be noted that previously anything pertaining to the security policy had been preserved by national security institutions. However, the NSP’s draft was presented by the National Security Advisor (NSA) Dr. Moeed Yusuf and puts the economic security at the core – another domain that had not been part of security policies in the past as the country’s interests were primarily defined by how it protected itself from India. But the NSP 2022-2026 with a ‘citizen-centric approach’ puts economic security in line with military, while also sheds light on water security, population growth, terrorism and foreign policy.
With the Afghanistan takeover by the Taliban and regional tensions between India and China, as well as Beijing and Washington, Pakistan remains vulnerable to internal and external threats. The surge in terrorist attacks on our law enforcement agencies in the border areas of the country was witnessed following the fall of Kabul. The threat of terrorism immensely affected the country in the past and can hamper its growth today. And the lack of vision on the economic front has led us to being dependent on international financial institutions. It is then hoped that ‘citizen-centric approach’ putting economy at the centre of the NSP will help guide successive government in this aspect. “A stronger economy would create additional resources that would, in turn, be judiciously distributed to further bolster military and human security,” the NSA said at today’s briefing.
However, it must be remembered that political instability also results in hampering economic growth. And the ruling PTI has largely remained unmoved in this regard. The NSP was drafted without inclusion of the opposition parties, who had also boycotted the National Assembly session its draft was presented in recently. The lack of consensus building among all political players can hamper the result the NSP aims to achieve. For any democracy to strengthen inclusion in decision-making across platforms than just a ruling coalition calling the shots is necessary. But so far, the ruling party has shown no interest in taking the opposition on board. It must remember that the NSP is for a national cause and must be above any partisan politics.
