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Ahsan Iqbal chairs meeting to discuss formation of National Internal Security Policy 2018-2023

Islamabad, January 12, 2018 (PPI-OT):Interior Minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal chaired a high level meeting in Islamabad on formation of National Internal Security Policy (NISP) 2018-2023. Meeting was attended by officials from Law enforcement agencies, Counter Terrorism Force, Home Ministries of provincial Government, HEC and Ministry of Interior.

Interior Minister said that the Roadmap for formulation of National Internal Security Policy 2018-2023 is centred on the goals defined in vision 2025 that envisages a sharing peace, stability and development link, which is key for progress of any nation. Interior Minister added that we have steered the country towards progress by enabling peace and Political stability to take root in the country. He said that we have to take practical steps now to consolidate the gains made and improve our capabilities for the new and future threats to our peace and security.

Interior Minister said that Political stability plays vital role for development, which requires avoiding conflicts in all forms and manifestations. National Security has become a broad subject with social, political and economic dimensions gaining importance. The nature of threats is changing with technological revolution. CPEC has changed Geo-Political equilibrium in the region due to which new Geo-Political pressures are developing on Pakistan. We must develop a comprehensive approach with the ownership of all stakeholders to succeed in implementation.

He also stressed that youth in Pakistan constitutes a major part of the population and is an asset for the country. It is our priority to mobilize our youth towards peace and stability by providing them with the enabling environment. He stated that new internal security policy framework is directed towards establishing a new paradigm for policy on security and peace. A more empirical and evidence based approach focused on the implementation of the goals has been adopted.

Interior Minister also said that ownership and participation of the key government departments as well as that of the key state institutions and broader civil society is critical for its success and implementation. He therefore requested feedback from all the stakeholders and their continued engagement during the policy making process. He also added that internal and external affairs are interconnected and have implications on the domestic and foreign policies.

Moreover, Steps have been envisaged in the Framework to formulate the policy Planning and Initial meeting with internal stakeholders, Desk Research, Consultation sessions with relevant stakeholders, National internal security conference, Expert interviews, Data Analysis, Reconciling differing views, Circulating initial draft for feedback, Developing and refining a final draft, Seeking executive approval, Setting up mechanism for implementation and Launching /dissemination of policy.

It is to be noted that basic tenets of the policy encapsulates the four key areas to improve peace and security viz: creating a shared vision, establishing rule of law, ensuring political stability and providing social justice. The Policy framework has also identified Political Parties/Policy makers, Academics/Analysts, Educationists, Journalists/Media Personnel, Religious Scholars, Legal Experts, Civil Society Organizations and Representatives of Marginalized Groups (Youth, Minorities, Women who will be engaged during the process of policy formulation) as major stakeholders.

The key inputs required from the government departments include: An assessment of the key initiatives that have been effective in ensuring security and those that are now redundant and assessment of key bottlenecks and blockages that impede optimal performance and Suggestions to remove these impediments and make government departments and LEAs more effective

It was recognized that similar policy exercises in the past lacked implementation, therefore detailed implementation strategy; monitoring and evaluation mechanism and the funding requirements will be included in the policy and given particular attention.

The participants approved the detailed roadmap for the policy formulation process that includes three rounds of consultation sessions involving key stakeholders and a national conference on internal security. This represents a move towards evidence-based policy making in order to design policy interventions that deal with not only the symptoms, but also the root causes of security issues.

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