Ashraf calls on forces to redefine counter-terrorism policy

Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf on Friday urged the armed forces to redefine military strategies and doctrine to tackle the threats to national security and sovereignty, assuring that the government would stand by the military to provide a strong support in the war against terrorism.
Addressing the 14th National Security Workshop at the National Defence University (NDU), the prime minister said today’s complex and multi-faceted concept of national security was neither a pursuit of the military alone, nor was its management the exclusive domain of a selected few.
Assuring the government’s support to the armed forces in the war on terror, he said national security institutions must improve intelligence gathering and establish effective coordination among civil and military institutions to attain optimum results. “Threats to Pakistan’s national security stem mainly from non-state actors who are targeting the state’s symbols and institutions in a bid to impose their agenda. It is an enemy that is nameless and faceless,” Ashraf said.
“We are living in a world undergoing dynamic changes,” he added, “where traditional notions of security and sovereignty are being constantly redefined. There is a need to come to grips with the implications of this flux in intra-state and international relations.” Elaborating, the PM said effective pursuit of national security goals required developing a strategic framework that encompassed all elements of national power. “It must focus on the complex ways in which national, regional and global factors impinge upon the security outlook of a country. The key imperatives of a comprehensive national security paradigm include sustainable socio-economic growth, political sovereignty and stability, rule of law, food security, stable state institutions and technological advancements,” Ashraf remarked. Recognising and praising the sacrifices made by security forces to defend the motherland, he was of the view that the need of the time was to work on a strategy that could comprehensively tackle the menace, adding that “we have to redesign and redefine our military doctrine to achieve this objective”. Urging both parliament and the security forces to stay on the same page, the PM said no military action could succeed alone, as the political will and support of the people were critical to its success.
Ashraf added that the entire nation and parliament stood behind their armed forces in their struggle to secure the future of our children. “The present democratic government can rightfully take pride in the fact that it gave political ownership to the war against terrorism. The Swat Model, as it globally came to be known, represents the finest example of a combination of political strategy and modern warfare,” he said. The prime minister said for a country to be able to protect its national security, it was incumbent that every institution worked within its constitutional ambit.
“Political stability is critically linked to national security,” he remarked. Ashraf stated that economic diplomacy was an integral part of the foreign policy. “The grant of GSP plus status to Pakistan by the European Union bears testimony to our efforts in seeking concessions to enhance international trade relations. The forces of doom and gloom thrive in an environment of chaos, uncertainty and instability. We need to guard against all such forces, which are out to derail the system so assiduously put in place after a protracted struggle.” Commenting on the media, Ashraf said the media was crucial to building consensus on broad contours of national security. “I have unflinching faith in the people of Pakistan. They have always risen to the occasion. We will defeat the forces of darkness who cast evil designs on our culture, values and a way of life. I have no doubt about it,” he added.