Meeting of the National Security Committee. Photo: archive
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has recommended that the country’s National Security Committee (NSC) be institutionalized as a regular forum for civil-military strategic consultations.
PILDAT released a report on the performance and effectiveness of the NSC during the second year of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure, stating that the period reflects a national security architecture that remains structurally sound but operationally reactive.
A PILDAT press release said the NSC continues to function primarily as a crisis response mechanism rather than a platform for ongoing strategic assessment, urging it to meet monthly to proactively review domestic and international security developments.
According to the press release, the NSC was convened three times during the year, but its operation remained largely episodic and reactive, triggered mainly by serious security crises.
“The April-June 2025 meetings, convened in response to the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and subsequent cross-border escalation, underlined the critical role of the NSC in facilitating civil-military consultations and coordinating national responses,” it said.
“The June 2025 meeting further demonstrated the NSC’s ability to assess broader regional developments, including Israeli military strikes against Iran, highlighting its potential as a platform for strategic deliberation beyond the immediate bilateral crises,” he added.
The PILDAT review indicated that overall use of the NSC remained patchy. He noted that the National Security Division (NSD), intended to provide analytical and operational support, remained underutilized due to infrequent NSC meetings.
“At the same time, the increasing reliance on parallel coordination mechanisms, such as the apex committees under the National Action Plan (NAP) and other high-level ad hoc meetings, has contributed to the dilution of the institutional prominence and strategic coherence of the NSC,” the statement said.
PILDAT recommended institutionalizing the NSC as a regular forum for civil-military strategic consultations, with monthly meetings to review security developments.
“NSD’s analytical, operational, and coordination capabilities must be strengthened to ensure that high-level national security deliberations are supported by evidence-based analysis and long-term strategic planning,” the press release states.
“It is also critical to reaffirm the NSC as Pakistan’s primary platform for strategic national security decision-making and clearly delineate its role in relation to parallel committees to avoid duplication and enhance accountability,” he concluded.
