National Security Policy 2022-26 Executive Summary:

The National Security Policy 2022-2026 seeks to co-locate Pakistan in emerging global trends and identifies policy objectives and priority areas where Pakistan should invest its national resources to ensure the most beneficial outcomes.

The policy articulates a citizen-centric ‘Comprehensive National Security’ framework for Pakistan whose ultimate purpose is to ensure the safety, security, dignity, and prosperity of our people. It recognizes both traditional and non-traditional security aspects that impinge on our national security.

The policy places economic security at the core of comprehensive national security, emphasizing a geo-economic vision to supplement the focus on geo-strategy, and recognizes that sustainable and inclusive economic growth is needed to expand our national resource pie. This will in turn allow greater availability of resources to bolster traditional and human security. Appreciating this symbiotic relationship between economic, traditional, and human security allows the articulation of holistic policy actions that will prepare Pakistan to optimize national security outcomes in the coming decades.

The National Security Policy 2022-26 captures ongoing trends in the changing world order and their implications for Pakistan. The emergence of multiple centres of economic and military power and a move towards a multipolar world are key features of the contemporary global landscape. Pakistan’s location at the cross-roads of historic confluence and regional flashpoints provides unique opportunities amidst global competition for power.

The policy guidance in the document emphasises a proactive, forward-looking approach for Pakistan’s policy makers. It recognizes that a static or reactive outlook in a fluid global environment can have negative consequences and affect not only Pakistan’s external relations but also its internal security and societal harmony.

The public version of the National Security Policy is meant to provide an insight into the overall vision and direction of the Country’s national security. Major opportunities and challenges as well as policy objectives for each significant aspect of national security are described briefly. Specific details and analyses of the security landscape, the country’s vital national security interests, priority actions, and implementation framework have not been included in this document.

The National Security Policy 2022-26 document contains eight sections. After explaining the policy formulation process in Section I, conceptual elements of Pakistan’s national security framework are explained in Section II.

Six thematic sections follow, each of which provides an assessment of the context and Pakistan’s desired goals and objectives in the particular area of national security covered in the respective sections. Section III on ‘National Cohesion’ examines preservation of ideology and culture, ensuring unity and stability, and making public service responsive to the needs of citizens. Section IV, titled ‘Securing Our Economic Future’, focuses on economic security, specifically discussing the economy, trade, energy, education and human resource, and emerging technologies. Section V, titled ‘Defence and Territorial Integrity’, provides policy guidelines for ensuring defence, deterrence, and territorial integrity, and space and cyber security. Section VI focuses on ‘Internal Security’ and examines challenges of terrorism, violent sub-nationalisms, extremism and sectarianism, and organized crime. Section VII on ‘Foreign Policy in a Changing World’ assesses global realignments, Pakistan’s key bilateral and multilateral relationships, and our overall approach towards diplomacy. Finally, Section VIII, titled ‘Human Security’, examines population and migration, health security, climate and water security, food security, and gender security.

The National Security Policy has been framed after seven years of diligent and rigorous analysis and consultations led by the National Security Division. Yet, the policy document will continue to evolve to reflect emerging challenges to Pakistan’s security while providing guidelines to mitigate threats and avail new opportunities to make our Country even more secure and prosperous.

The public document will contribute to the policy’s evolution by generating an intellectual debate on the notion of comprehensive national security, on which Pakistan’s future security vision is centered.

It will complement the National Security Policy’s recommendation for a dedicated political discourse to develop a broad consensus on national security that transcends political differences and is not affected by changes in the national political space.