National Security Policy, 2022-26

Pakistan's first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) defines the direction the country should take in the coming years. Its makers are said to have taken a citizen-centric approach to national security and placed a special emphasis on economic security. CSS candidates can quote this in their written papers & it’s MUST read for interview.

A look at the security policy (Source: Dawn.com)

The NSP document is meant for a five-year period (2022-26) but it will be reviewed at the end of every year. The full 110-page NSP document will remain classified. However, a shorter nearly 50-page version is being published. Critical analysis of the state of affairs in various sectors is contained in the main document, and the implementation framework and the indicators developed for monitoring and evaluating the progress made towards the policy's execution are not being included in the public version, which, moreover, will not spell out the different elements of national interest. The document contains chapters on national cohesion, economy, defence, internal security, foreign policy and human security. In the foreign policy domain, NSP places equal emphasis on political as well as economic diplomacy, besides listing peace in the region as the top priority. It, moreover, reiterates the commitment to not becoming part of bloc politics. Meanwhile, the defence part highlights the challenges posed by hybrid war and threats to cyber security in addition to issues pertaining to the conventional capabilities and strategic deterrence. It recommends increasing the size of the resource pie, addressing the external imbalance, and judicious redistribution of wealth. Thorny topics like accountability, curriculum review, governance challenges, including review of the 18th Constitution Amendment and future status of Gilgit-Baltistan, will be part of the classified portion. Opposition parties have criticised the government for not taking their input during the formulation of the policy.

Those students who will participate in ‘CSS 2022 MCQ Based Preliminary Test (MPT) — Mock Test Series’ will be provided with Current Affairs 2021-22 notes. For more details, click here. Thank you