National Security Advisor (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday said Pakistan and Uzbekistan have signed a historic protocol to establish multifaceted Joint Security Commission (JSC) that would help in unveiling the geo-economic paradigm shift in the region.
At a media briefing, after a detailed meeting with the five-member Uzbek delegation headed by Secretary of the Security Council /NSA of the Republic of Uzbekistan Lieutenant General Victor Makhmudov, the NSA elaborated the details of the JSC.
The signed protocol covers wide-ranging security related matters of mutual interest and establishes coordination mechanism between Pakistan’s National Security Division and the Security Council of Uzbekistan under their respective heads.
Under the JSC, he said the two countries would function in different working groups in diverse fields like security, defence, trans-crime, drug trafficking, counter terrorism and disaster management.
Dr Moeed said Pakistan’s entire focus was on shifting the country’s system into a geo-economic paradigm, where setting up of a regional economic corridor through the country was the top priority.
Prior to the ongoing China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, the NSA said there was no such trade route with the Central Asian states that had huge potential in enabling Pakistan to achieve its geo-economic strategic goal.
“Uzbekistan due to its close proximity with Afghanistan is a very crucial element in fulfilling our geo-economic paradigm.
It is an historic day as both the countries have signed the JSC Protocol and will collaborate in diverse fields like security, defence and associated issues,” he remarked.
Further elaborating, Dr Moeed Yusuf mentioned that under the JSC various stakeholders including Ministry of Defence, Foreign Office, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Federal Board of Revenue would participate; whereas the National Security Division would act as the central coordinating body. —APP
