ISLAMABAD: Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, former Chairman Senate, has said that the National Security Policy, approved by the National Security Committee, is without any input from Parliament nor has Parliament been taken into confidence.

He said in a statement on Tuesday that like the TLP Agreement, the National Security Policy has been promised to be shared with the nation at some appropriate time.

He said, “In actual fact, the National Security Policy should have originated in the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. This Committee should have carried out exhaustive and extensive consultations with all stakeholders, including the armed forces, academia, think tanks and related government departments.”

Rabbani said, “This Draft Report should have been shared by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security with the National Security Council, after such input the Report should have been placed before a Joint Sitting of the Parliament, where it should have been debated and this would have also generated a national debate.”

He said that such final formulations should have been placed before the Cabinet for final approval. He said that it is unfortunate that in a parliamentary democracy the Policy has not been circulated to either Parliament or Cabinet and has been approved.

He said that the government would be better advised that, before approval of the Cabinet the Policy be placed before Parliament.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021