Focus of Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy: economy and Islamic identity - Broadsword by Ajai Shukla

Pakistan’s NSP took 7 years to prepare. It is valid for five years, until 2026

By Vikas Gupta

Defence News of India, 15 Jan 22

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan released a public version of his country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) on Friday. The policy sees economic security as the central element of national security and continues to rely on Pakistan’s Islamic identity to keep its citizens together.

While the full 110-page NSP document remains classified, a shorter 48-page unclassified version has been made public. The NSP is valid for a period of five years (2022-26), but will be revised at the end of each year.

According to the document, Pakistan’s NSP has been in the works since 2014. “The NSP was drafted after seven years of diligent and rigorous analysis and consultation conducted by the National Security Division,” it said.

The NSP was cleared by the National Security Committee on December 27 and was approved by Pakistan’s federal cabinet a day later.

“The National Security Policy 2022-2026 is centered on the vision of my government, which believes that the security of Pakistan rests on the security of its citizens. This citizen-centric approach to national security prioritises national cohesion and people’s prosperity, while ensuring fundamental rights and social justice without discrimination,” the Prime Minister of Pakistan wrote in the introduction to the NSP. .

The NSP places Pakistan’s national security in a holistic framework. He says: “In Pakistan, successive governments have developed distinct policies on internal security, foreign policy, defense modernization and indigenization, economic growth and development, food security and climate change, among others… Yet, Pakistan does not have a comprehensive security policy that brings traditional and non-traditional security strands together in a framework document to provide overall direction and guidance. National security policy was designed to fill this void.

In dealing with these multiple strands, the NSP contains eight sections. Section I explains the policy formulation process, while the conceptual elements of Pakistan’s national security framework are explained in Section II.

Section III on ‘National Cohesion’ stipulates the preservation of Pakistani ideology and culture, requiring: ‘the preservation of the Islamic character as enshrined in the Constitution and our diverse cultural heritage’.

Acknowledging split tendencies in Pakistan, he prescribes: “Strengthen[ing] the federal nature of the Pakistani structure by adhering to democratic principles. To ensure harmony between the federated units and territories of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir through careful implementation of policies at all levels.

Section IV, titled “Securing our Economic Future,” states: “Pakistan’s vital national security interests are best served by placing economic security at the heart of national security. The country’s security imperatives over the next decade will be driven by the need to realize its economic potential while ensuring national cohesion, territorial integrity, internal security and the well-being of citizens.

Section V, titled “Defence and Territorial Integrity,” unsurprisingly remains India-centric, stating, “Special attention is required to manage the lingering border disputes that continue to pose security threats, particularly along the Line of Control and the working border where ceasefire violations by India threaten the lives and property of civilians while endangering regional stability”.

Accusing India of seeking dominance in the Indian Ocean, the NSP says: “A country’s self-proclaimed role as a so-called internet security provider in the wider Indian Ocean would negatively affect the security and interests economy of the region”.

Particular attention is paid to the nuclear balance with India: “Pakistan’s nuclear capability deters war through full-spectrum deterrence within the confines of a credible minimum nuclear deterrent, in concert with our conventional military capabilities and all elements of national power. The expansion of India’s nuclear triad, open statements on nuclear policy and investments, and the introduction of disruptive technologies are upsetting the strategic balance in the region. Pakistan’s deterrent regime is vital and aims at regional peace.

Section VI on “Internal Security” deals with terrorism, violent sub-nationalisms, extremism and bigotry, and organized crime. Section VII on “Foreign Policy in a Changing World” covers global realignments, Pakistan’s key relationships and its comprehensive approach to diplomacy. Finally, Section VIII, entitled “Human Security”, examines population and migration, health security, climate and water security, food security and gender security.

The document was received in Pakistan with mixed feelings. “I have just finished reading the Nat[ional] Security policy document. It’s like summarizing a wish list of concerns for Pakistan and ambitions, but without reference to resource scarcity or how consensus will be developed,” tweeted prominent Pakistani strategist Ayesha Siddiqa.

However, consensus can be facilitated by Pakistan’s consultative approach to formulating the NSP. “Throughout the process, several rounds of consultations were held with official stakeholders, including all federal ministries and divisions, provincial governments, governments of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and military institutions. Input was also solicited from intelligentsia and citizens,” the document reads.

“In 2021, online and in-person consultations were also held with over 500 scholars and members of civil society, including university students representing the views of the country’s future generation. At the end of the finalization process, public hearings on the main contours of the policy were organized in public and private universities. »