The last week of 2021 witnessed the National Security Committee approving Pakistan’s first ever National Security Policy (NSP) that will be reviewed annually and last for five years. Guidelines and principles in all four important areas of decision-making, defence, foreign affairs and economy have been incorporated in the draft that puts economic stability at its core. Citizens have been informed that the policy preparing process was started in 2014 and the formatted version of the final document would be made public soon after completing certain legal formalities. As it is a ‘comprehensive’ and ‘inclusive’ document, one would expect it to contain not only the goals set in all important areas but also dilating on how to achieve the desired objectives during a period that involves a general election at home and a pandemic driven overwrought geo-strategic environment.
NSP is neither a law enumerating how a nation should behave nor is it a scripture stipulating some divine philosophy. Such a document is expected to set out certain basic principles and guidelines for a state’s machinery to aim at providing security to its subjects in all spheres of life. As the appropriate and timely ‘implementation’ remains the litmus test of any policy, the state machinery has no other option but to keep applying the principles of good governance from start to end. In an ideal political environment, a policy is usually followed by a strategy to spell out its contours after ascertaining the strengths and weaknesses, resources and resource-constraints of both the state and its subjects with utmost precision. The ensuing strategy is then translated into numerous tactical components clearly indicating the involved actions under the specified parameters. Hopefully, due process was followed through building domestic consensus by ensuring participation and responsiveness besides encompassing the principles of good governance including the rule of law, accountability, efficiency and transparency.
In case any of these elements are missing from the scene, there is no point in taking credit for finalising the NSP. If the policy talks about good governance while overlooking its eternal absence from the national panorama, it would just be another non-implementable idealist document for the archives. Indigenous ‘good-governors’ are not good enough to have any policy implemented in letter and spirit. You need to have local ‘good-governed’ populace as well to reap the fruits of any decision-making. Otherwise, the only purpose any policy could possibly serve is the mention of its title in any yearly report on any government’s performance sheet. Except for the related government officials and candidates of competitive exams, no one reads the yearly reports.
Hence, the smart move is to keep the unforeseen events or follies of any government under check by inserting a number of provisos here and there in the draft. Another smart move would be to allow such a policy to be revisited from time to time thereby avoiding any future criticism. Yet another smart move is to ensure everyone that the policy is ‘individual-centric’ and certainly is by the people, of the people and for the people. The last bit would be to create a perception that the credit-worthy government has honestly fulfilled its responsibility towards all its subjects by ‘drafting’ and ‘finalising’ the NSP in the best interest of everyone. In other words, regardless of its implementation or even its release for the people to know what it entails, the final document itself tantamount to actually ‘providing’ security to all and sundry. This would certainly be the smartest move.
It would indeed be interesting to see something innovating and novel in the NSP particularly in its approach as the indications so far received about its main contours point towards the same old security challenges that Pakistan has been facing such as economy, food, water, military security, terrorism, population growth and Islamabad’s dealings with the world especially the major powers. One is eagerly waiting to see what geo-economics means exactly in practical terms and how geo-strategic and geo-political objectives could either be sidelined or ignored at the cost of boosting economic prospects. Hopefully, the NSP was able to create a co-related balance between an unstable political environment and robust economy or how Pakistan could withdraw on some of its ‘principled’ stands in the realm of geo-political matters to create some space for certain economic and trade related ventures without harming the concept of its very existence.
It would also be interesting to see if any concept like ‘Enlightened Moderation’ has been introduced. Indeed, such catchy jargons help the Foreign Office in drafting admirable speeches to be delivered at important world forums. However, a concept on paper means absolutely nothing if the government of the day could not translate it into reality in practical terms. A clarification is required here. Such policies are prepared during the tenure of one or two governments but the ownership rests with the state. In other words, the NSP will remain the state of Pakistan’s property and responsibility even if the successive governments make any number of amendments therein. The whole-of-government approach reportedly envisaged in the NSP, therefore, needs to be followed by the incumbent and all successive governments in a manner that suits a welfare State.
In the context of nuclear disarmament and security, the Big Five of the world have expressed their desire last week to work with all states to create a ‘security’ environment to eventually achieving ‘undiminished security.’ Hopefully, besides seeking to leverage the symbiotic linkages among economic security, human security and military security with safety and prosperity of citizens, the NSP also spells out the safety of Pakistan’s ‘strategic assets’ particularly in dealing with the NSG, IEAE and other such nuclear monitors. It is also hoped that ways and means are specified in the NSP to monitor the enemy’s nefarious designs in time and initiate timely countermeasures rather than waiting for another EU DisinfoLab disclosure.
Lastly, for a policy to effectively meet its stated objectives, eternal vigilance is not enough. The honesty of purpose must be there as the paramount guiding principle.
The writer is a former Ambassador of Pakistan and author of seven books in three languages. He can be reached at najmussaqib
1960@msn.com
NSP is neither a law enumera-ting how a nation should behave nor is it a scripture stipulating some divine philosophy.