Pak Oppn protests govt’s national security policy

Islamabad: Senators from the Opposition parties protested and staged a walkout on Wednesday in the Upper House against the Imran Khan government’s decision to bypass Parliament while approving the ambitious National Security Policy, aimed at guiding the country’s economic and defence policies. Pakistan’s Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the country’s first-ever National Security Policy that emphasised economic progress should be at the centre of national security.

The five-year policy document covers the period from 2022 to 2026, and is being propped up as the first-ever strategy paper of its kind. Though details of the policy have not been shared, the statement issued after the NSC meeting showed that economic security will be of paramount importance for all policies.

Reacting sharply to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) move, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman said the government did not present the draft of the security policy in the house, and it was nothing more than just a piece of paper that had very little to offer, an Express Tribune report said.

Rehman argued that the bill gave complete autonomy to the State Bank of Pakistan in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“What sort of security is the government talking about when the IMF is dictating the economy and the SBP is being sublet,” she asked.

Leader of the House, Senator Shehzad Wasim said that the Opposition parties decided to boycott the NSC meeting because it was not attended by army officials. The remarks added to the chaos in the Upper House, with Opposition Senators launching slogans against the government, the report added. —(PTI)