Former ISI chief stresses open dialogue on national security

ISLAMABAD: Former director-general Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Zaheer-ul-Islam on Monday stressed on the need to talk openly about national security to improve policy formulation.

The former spy chief also said that all stakeholders need to be taken on board in formulating the national security policy.

Islam was speaking at the National Security Policy Seminar in Islamabad. 

"A comprehensive national security policy has assumed greater importance due to fluid international and regional environment, traditional dimensions of threat scenarios, and changing narratives of war," said the former ISI chief.

"National security policy is no more the domain of the political leadership or the security establishment only. Multi-dimensional threat warrants an integrated approach to evolve a security policy involving all stakeholders in order to make it comprehensive and all-encompassing. Therefore, it is important to discuss and analyse the relevant issues individually, openly, and deliberately to form policy options," he said.

Speaking at the same seminar, National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua said the United States of America is following Indian policy on the longstanding Kashmir dispute.

The US has given India role in Afghanistan’s political process, giving New Delhi priority over Islamabad, and has opposed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Janjua pointed out. 

He further said that terrorism in Pakistan emerged after the country decided to support the US and the West.

The national security adviser said that in opposition to China and Russia, the US has disrupted the balance of power in South Asia.

“Security in South Asia is under pressure,” he said.