Meeting of the National Security Committee. Photo: file
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 strategic civil-military consultation.
PILDAT released a report on the NSC’s performance and effectiveness 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 continuous strategic assessment, and calls for it to meet monthly to proactively review national and international security developments.
According to the press release, the NSC was convened three times during the year, but its functioning remained largely episodic and reactive, primarily triggered 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, underscored the critical role of the NSC in facilitating civil-military consultation and coordinated national responses,” it said.
“The June 2025 meeting further demonstrated the NSC’s capacity to assess broader regional developments, including Israeli military strikes on Iran, and highlighted its potential as a platform for strategic deliberations beyond immediate bilateral crises,” it added.
PILDAT’s review found that NSC’s overall use remained irregular. It noted that the National Security Division (NSD), intended to provide analytical and operational support, remained underutilized due to the infrequent meetings of the NSC.
“At the same time, increasing reliance on parallel coordination mechanisms, such as summit committees under the National Action Plan (NAP) and other high-level ad hoc meetings, has contributed to the dilution of the NSC’s institutional prominence and strategic coherence,” the statement said.
PILDAT recommended institutionalizing the NSC as a regular forum for strategic civil-military consultation with monthly meetings to review security developments.
“NSD’s analytical, operational and coordination capacity should be strengthened to ensure that high-level national security deliberations are supported by evidence-based analysis and long-term strategic planning,” the press release said.
“It is also critical to reaffirm the NSC as Pakistan’s main platform for strategic decision-making in national security and clearly delineate its role vis-à-vis parallel committees to avoid duplication and increase accountability,” it concluded.
