In a paradigm shift, Pakistan will unveil a "coherent" National Security Policy this year which would integrate key aspects like foreign policy, internal security, education, population and global warming, according to a top aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Currently Pakistan's thrust of foreign policy is on keeping external wars out of its territory, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Yusuf said.
"At the moment, Pakistan's engagements in the region aim to convince the rival countries to de-escalate, and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's current tour of Iran, Saudi Arabia and US is a step in that direction," he said.
For 70 years, Pakistan has been functioning under short-term strategies, he said.
"It's a paradigm shift. It's not going to happen overnight, but finally, it will be out by the end of 2020," Yusuf said on Sunday while addressing a session on national security at the two-day 'ThinkFest'.
"Our job at National Security Division is not to tell what will happen tomorrow, but what will happen day after tomorrow," Yusuf was quoted as saying by The News.
More From This Section
"Am tasked to develop a cogent and comprehensive economic diplomacy strategy for the country. Insha'Allah will be a game changer for us," Yusuf tweeted last Wednesday, ahead of the meeting in Lahore.
At National Security Division, Yusuf said, "we are developing a coherent National Security Policy, which integrates foreign policy, internal security, education, population, global warming, culture and tourism, with a sole aim to ensure the social and economic security of the common man.
"It will be out by the end of this year," he said and added that the Pakistan government was breaking away from traditional definition of single-track geo-economic policy and now integrating all sectors to work in tandem to achieve the goal of uplifting the common man.
"Pakistan knows mediation will not bear fruit in this situation, but it is time to engage in diplomacy to prevent escalation," he said, adding that the media criticised it as a mediation effort, though it was not. We are not doing it for optics, but in the national interest," he added.
Yusuf also touched upon the Kashmir issue, the Dawn newspaper reported.
He said Pakistan looked towards the UN for the resolution of the Kashmir issue because it had through its resolutions recognised it as a dispute. This was for the first time the West was taking note of the situation in Kashmir, he said.
Pakistan was raising the issue of Jammu & Kashmir through all diplomatic channels available to "shake the conscience" of the world community to provide justice to the people in the Valley.
"Our approach is diplomatic," he said, adding that Pakistan has approached the United Nations, knowing that it can't resolve the issue, but because the UN ensures Kashmir's status as a legal dispute, The News quoted him as saying.
Replying to a question about prime minister Khan's decision of not going to Malaysia to attend a summit of major Islamic nations, he said it was made in the best national interest.
"We are going to drive our foreign policy wherever we can. We are working on how to keep external walls out of Pakistan," Yusuf said.
He said in the government's view, division in the Muslim world was not good and Pakistan would try its level best to stop this wherever it could.
"The decision did not affect Pakistan's relations with Malaysia or Turkey. The prime minister is visiting Malaysia next month. We are the only Muslim country which can talk to every Muslim country. Turkey, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are in our camp, he claimed.