NSC vows to keep robust defence posture

Decides to keep a robust defence posture to ensure national security in a challenging environment

ISLAMABAD: In view of the ongoing tiff with the US on its new Afghan policy, the civil and military leadership have decided to streamline working of the National Security Division on proactive patterns with increased coordination between diplomatic authorities and security institutions.

The reported decision – taken on Wednesday during the 13th meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) – implies that meetings between civilian officials and security brass at the NSC forum will be held on a regular basis to map out a collective strategy to deal with the existing challenges.

The NSC will also formulate a policy to clearly define the mandate and scope of National Security Division under the command of the national security adviser (NSA).

During the meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his aides were briefed about the functioning of National Security Division and the current challenges Pakistan is being faced with in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s recent statement, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Trump on August 22 cleared the way for the deployment of more US troops to Afghanistan while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to ‘agents of chaos’. “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organisations,” he said, warning that vital aid could be cut.

“We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars. At the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. That will have to change and that will change immediately,” Trump had said.



Chaired by the PM, the conclave was attended by defence, finance, foreign and interior ministers, chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, three services chiefs, national security adviser, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief and other senior civil and military officials.

A statement from the PM House said Trump’s policy on South Asia was also discussed in the meeting and the committee decided to set up an interagency sub-committee to make specific proposals for consideration in the next NSC meeting ‘along with the recommendations/outcome of the forthcoming Envoys' Conference of select missions scheduled for September 5-7’.

“Reviewing the armed forces development plan, the committee decided to keep a robust defence posture to ensure national security in a challenging environment,” the statement added.

Earlier on Tuesday, a ‘briefing on the working of National Security Division’ was the last of the eight agenda items that were to be taken up by the federal cabinet in its weekly meeting. However, discussion on this agenda item was deferred till Wednesday to be taken up in the NSC meeting, sources said.

Unlike the previous NSC meeting that came up with a hard-hitting official response to Washington’s new Afghan policy, the tone of Wednesday’s statement was notably mild.

The mild tone was adopted in view of the sensitivities attached to the matter especially after the scheduled visit of Acting US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice Wells' to Pakistan was postponed on Islamabad’s request.

“The government has already taken a toughened position on the issue. Any public statement on the issue would simply add fuel to fire,” said a government official, while requesting anonymity.

A senior PML-N leader said more consultative huddles would continue regarding Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif’s visit to the US expected in near future.

“The PM is in favour of taking all the stakeholders onboard including cabinet members, security bosses and parliament in dealing with the ongoing tension with the US,” he said.

In its meeting held last Thursday, the NSC rejected outright the specific allegations and insinuations made against Pakistan and said scapegoating Pakistan would not help stabilise Afghanistan.

It had said Pakistan had to manage the blowback of a protracted conflict in Afghanistan that resulted in a deluge of refugees, flow of drugs and arms and establishment of terrorists’ safe havens in eastern Afghanistan from where terrorists continue to operate and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

“The fact remains that the complex issues and internal dynamics inside Afghanistan pose a grave challenge not only to Pakistan but to the broader region and the international community,” an official statement after the meeting said.

Following a crucial cabinet huddle on August 22, the Foreign Office also expressed disappointment over the US Afghan policy which it said “ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation”. It had urged US to work with Islamabad “instead of relying on false narrative of safe havens.”

“No country in the world has done more than Pakistan to counter the menace of terrorism.  No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders.

“It is, therefore disappointing that the US policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort.

“The military action during the last 17 years has not brought peace to Afghanistan, and it is not likely to do so in the future. Only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned politically negotiated solution can lead to sustainable peace in Afghanistan,” it had said.