Meeting of the National Security Committee. Photo: file
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Institute for 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 consultation.
PILDAT released a report on the performance and effectiveness of the NSC during the second year of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s term, stating that this period reflects a national security architecture that remains structurally sound but operationally responsive.
A PILDAT press release said the NSC continues to function primarily as a crisis response mechanism rather than an ongoing strategic assessment platform, urging that it meet monthly to proactively review national and international security developments.
According to the press release, the NSC met three times during the year, but its functioning remained largely episodic and reactive, triggered primarily by acute security crises.
“The April-June 2025 meetings, convened in response to the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the subsequent cross-border escalation, highlighted the critical role of the NSC in facilitating civil-military consultations and coordinated national responses,” it said.
“The June 2025 meeting once again 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 immediate bilateral crises,” the statement added.
The PILDAT review indicated that overall use of the NSC remained inconsistent. 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 supreme committees under the National Action Plan (NAP) and other high-level ad hoc meetings, has contributed to the dilution of the institutional importance and strategic coherence of the NSC,” the statement said.
PILDAT recommended institutionalizing the NSC as a regular civil-military strategic consultation forum, with monthly meetings to review security developments.
“The analytical, operational and coordination capabilities of the NSD should be strengthened to ensure that high-level deliberations on national security are supported by evidence-based analysis and long-term strategic planning,” the press release said.
“It is also essential to reaffirm the NSC as Pakistan’s primary platform for strategic decision-making on national security and clearly demarcate its role from parallel committees to avoid duplication and improve accountability,” he concludes.
