New Delhi: Prime Minister Imran Khan recently launched Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy based on a citizen-centric framework and focusing more on boosting the country’s flagging economy and its standing in the world.
The original 110-page version of the policy will remain classified. But a public version of the document will be released, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
Khan said the new policy was more focused to strengthen the economy of Pakistan. “Our foreign policy will also focus much more on economic diplomacy going forward,” he said.
He said inclusive growth was needed but Pakistan had to go after loans from institutions like the International Monetary Fund, lamenting that the country never had a plan to secure itself economically.
Khan said that Pakistan, since its evolution, has had a one-dimensional security policy where the focus was on the military. “For the first time, the National Security Division has developed a consensus document which defines national security in a proper way,” he added.
The document which took seven years to prepare is being propped up by the Khan government as the country’s first-ever strategy paper of its kind that spells out the national security vision and guidelines for the attainment of those goals.
The main themes of the National Security Policy are national cohesion, securing an economic future, defense and territorial integrity, internal security, foreign policy in a changing world, and human security.
Khan also said that the primary objective of Pakistan’s foreign policy and military might was to keep peace in the region.
NSA Moeed Yusuf said that while the National Security Policy is centered on economic security, the geo-strategic and geo-political imperatives also feature prominently to strengthen Pakistan security and standing in the world.
The report, quoting Yusuf, said the policy places the Jammu and Kashmir issue as the core of the bilateral relationship.
When asked about the message it sends to India, Yusuf said: “it tells India to do the right thing and jump on the bandwagon to benefit from regional connectivity to uplift our peoples. It also tells India, if you don’t want to do the right thing, it will be a loss to the entire region, but most of all India.”
