National security policy and economic diplomacy
TWO important pieces of news came from Pakistan this week that need academic review because people like me who live abroad and wish to see a prosperous motherland they left behind for getting a higher education and desire to serve their country once back at home.
The first news was that Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) 2022-2026 was approved by the National Security Council (NSC), putting economic security at the core. The second news was that Pakistan is seriously working on Economic Diplomacy.
Nevertheless, details of NSP are not available but it is reported by newspapers that Pakistan, through NSP, will shift to a Comprehensive National Security Framework for achieving overall national security, safety, and dignity of the citizens of Pakistan.
As a part of my studies, I keep following the security’s dynamics of developing countries and understand that food security through water security is a must for the survival of nations having large populations and comparative thin masses.
Pakistan is almost at the top of this sensitive list. The current population of Pakistan is 227.24 million (based on Worldometer-UN data).
The population density has gone up to 287 persons per Km2 and 35.1 % of the population is urban. Around 63% population comprises the youth aged between age 15 and 33 (UN Population Fund Report 2017) and one can see at roads and traffic signals how educated, decent and well-mannered is our youth.
I support the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan that our security rests in the security of its citizens but my question is that can we ensure the security of our citizens without securing our water resources and managing population growth? Remember history testifies that many nations imploded within and they did not need any external enemy to invade them.
Unplanned population growth, horizontal civic growth that is eating out agricultural lands for housing schemes, unskilled and aggressive youth, depilating food resources and the huge trade imbalance is more dreadful enemies than any external one.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has been raising his voice that corruption is the biggest issue of the country but I suggest he should review the list of dangers being faced by Pakistan.
How many vocational/technical education institutes does Pakistan have to convert the threat of inappropriate population growth into strength? What value addition do we have to introduce in our agriculture sector and education sector?
I have been teaching in Pakistan for many years and know that our syllabus is too obsolete and outdated that cannot provide new thoughts, out-of- box perceptive power and futuristic vision to our students.
Even top educational institutions of Pakistan are using at least one-decade old curriculum while taking the same fee for a semester that is offered by European educational institutions. Visa for European countries for Pakistani students is one of the greatest problems for planning their educational future.
I had been studying in Denmark and now in the Czech Republic and I know our government does not help students to find admissions or visas abroad while several neighboring countries of Pakistan use all diplomatic resources to ensure the admission of their students to top educational institutions in Europe.
I believe when Prime Minister Imran Khan says that the security of the citizens will be focused on by NSP, he should include better and competitive education, capacity building, value addition and state help for students who are bright enough to find admission in a foreign educational institution should be included in NSP list.
Moreover, the government’s efforts to promote Economic Diplomacy should also consider promising and bright students as “products” and must work for their placement in foreign educational institutions for their value addition and capacity building because foreign-educated students would bring new ideas and new opportunities for Pakistan when they will be back home, they will get better jobs abroad and would send better remittances to Pakistan.
You can find mostly unskilled Pakistani labour in Europe having lower income strata while citizens of neighbouring countries are leading in high technology jobs and premier human development sectors.
The growing significance of geo-economics in international politics cannot be denied and if Pakistan is really serious in a paradigm shift from geopolitical contestation to geo-economic cooperation, it must invest in youth for value addition by accepting the fact that youth is an important “product”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Missions abroad should help find educational opportunities for Pakistani students in the same manner they find what Pakistani products can be sold in their respective country of appointment.
In September 2021, I had an opportunity of attending a virtual conference of academicians from Europe and South Asia and came to know that our neighbouring South Asian countries invest in their students studying abroad as they invest in any industry or business for value addition. Why Pakistan cannot learn from its neighbours and follow this strategy?
—The writer is Prague-based foreign affairs expert and writes for national and international media outlets.
