At federal cabinet: Interior minister to unveil blueprint of security policy
New policy, likely to cover all security areas, will redefine the role of agencies.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will brief Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on newly proposed National Security Policy in the next federal cabinet meeting, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The detailed idea of the policy will be put forward in the federal cabinet’s meeting, likely to be held next week. Prime Minister Nawaz had directed interior minister to come up with a new policy to put the law enforcement agencies on a sound footing. The new policy, likely to cover all security segments in 10 to 15 points, will revamp the country’s whole security system.
The commerce minister had urged government to formulate a comprehensive security policy in view of militant attacks that had badly hampered foreign investment in Pakistan, revealed minutes of the last cabinet meeting. The premier took a serious notice of the matter and directed Nisar that newly proposed security draft should ignite a new era of national economic growth by overcoming security threats.
Officials told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Interior Ministry will finalise the policy after receiving inputs from all stakeholders. It will review policy on issues related to diplomatic community, society, extremism, content of textbooks, funding for law enforcement agencies, criminal justice, protection of witnesses and judges, eradication of state’s enemies, protection of foreigners as well as revamping of police system.
The policy will also define the role of intelligence agencies to ensure better internal and external security of the state. It will keep a particular focus on security threats in tribal belt, volatile areas in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Under this policy, a special taskforce will be constituted to deal with the issue of missing persons in Pakistan.
“An important meeting will finalise the matter as provinces and other law enforcement agencies concerned present their input on this matter [new security policy],” said Interior Ministry spokesperson Omar Hameed Khan. The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Crisis Management Cell (CMC), Frontier Constabulary (FC), Frontier Corps (FC), Inspector General (IG) Police of all four provinces and other departments concerned will forward their recommendations.
The NACTA has also prepared a comprehensive research paper for national security policy which will soon be presented to the interior minister, a senior official told The Express Tribune. Pakistan will also seek assistance from the countries which successfully got rid of the menace of terrorism. “The NACTA is the best source to engage other countries’ experts in the whole process”, he explained.
For a comprehensive policy, a parliamentary committee on national security should also be constituted for better recommendations, demanded former interior minister Aftab Sherpao. “Although Pakistan got too late to formulate a security policy, it is the only solution to root out security problems,” Sherpao added.
The new policy must ‘champion aspirations for human dignity’ in Pakistan, said former Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani. “The police system must be revamped and provinces’ criminal investigation departments must be put on strong footing by inducting competent police officers. It is a real test for the new government to utilise services of NACTA, a prime authority to deal with terrorism”, he observed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will brief Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on newly proposed National Security Policy in the next federal cabinet meeting, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The detailed idea of the policy will be put forward in the federal cabinet’s meeting, likely to be held next week. Prime Minister Nawaz had directed interior minister to come up with a new policy to put the law enforcement agencies on a sound footing. The new policy, likely to cover all security segments in 10 to 15 points, will revamp the country’s whole security system.
The commerce minister had urged government to formulate a comprehensive security policy in view of militant attacks that had badly hampered foreign investment in Pakistan, revealed minutes of the last cabinet meeting. The premier took a serious notice of the matter and directed Nisar that newly proposed security draft should ignite a new era of national economic growth by overcoming security threats.
Officials told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Interior Ministry will finalise the policy after receiving inputs from all stakeholders. It will review policy on issues related to diplomatic community, society, extremism, content of textbooks, funding for law enforcement agencies, criminal justice, protection of witnesses and judges, eradication of state’s enemies, protection of foreigners as well as revamping of police system.
The policy will also define the role of intelligence agencies to ensure better internal and external security of the state. It will keep a particular focus on security threats in tribal belt, volatile areas in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Under this policy, a special taskforce will be constituted to deal with the issue of missing persons in Pakistan.
“An important meeting will finalise the matter as provinces and other law enforcement agencies concerned present their input on this matter [new security policy],” said Interior Ministry spokesperson Omar Hameed Khan. The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Crisis Management Cell (CMC), Frontier Constabulary (FC), Frontier Corps (FC), Inspector General (IG) Police of all four provinces and other departments concerned will forward their recommendations.
The NACTA has also prepared a comprehensive research paper for national security policy which will soon be presented to the interior minister, a senior official told The Express Tribune. Pakistan will also seek assistance from the countries which successfully got rid of the menace of terrorism. “The NACTA is the best source to engage other countries’ experts in the whole process”, he explained.
For a comprehensive policy, a parliamentary committee on national security should also be constituted for better recommendations, demanded former interior minister Aftab Sherpao. “Although Pakistan got too late to formulate a security policy, it is the only solution to root out security problems,” Sherpao added.
The new policy must ‘champion aspirations for human dignity’ in Pakistan, said former Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani. “The police system must be revamped and provinces’ criminal investigation departments must be put on strong footing by inducting competent police officers. It is a real test for the new government to utilise services of NACTA, a prime authority to deal with terrorism”, he observed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.