Daily Times

RAWALPINDI – Senate Defence Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has welcomed the army to participate in military parade in China on September 3.

He was speaking during a visit of Senate Defence Committee to Joint Staff Headquarters for a briefing on the invitation of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Rashad Mehmood. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee briefed the Senate Defence Committee members on various facets of national defence, the role of the JCSC, and the different dimensions of the nuclear and missile programme by the Strategic Plans Division.

Lauding the role of the Senate Defence Committee in promoting Pakistan’s security and defence through a national approach, General Rashad Mehmood said that it was a privilege to welcome the distinguished parliamentarians. Senator Mushahid stressed the need for greater inter-service coordination which, he said, was pivotal for national security.

He also said that it was imperative that the parliament play its due role in formulation of national security and in this regard the defence committee would urge the government to implement the national security policy draft – which has been prepared in June 2014 – and which still needs to be promulgated by the government. He also underlined the need for institutions of national security like the Cabinet Defence Committee and the National Security Committee to meet regularly because it would not only promote better civil-military harmony, but will also lead to efficient implementation of policies on security and defence.

Similarly, Pakistan’s defence policy was last formulated in 2004, and the updated defence policy draft was last prepared in 2010, but still needs to be promulgated, he added. Senator Mushahid also welcomed the forthcoming participation of a contingent of the armed forces in the military parade to be held in Beijing, China on September 3 to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan marking the end of World War II.

At the briefing, there was appreciation by the JCSC of the role of the Senate Defence Committee in pro-actively promoting the issue of cyber security and in formulating the principles of a cyber security strategy. The defence committee chairman thanked General Rashad Mehmood and his team for their candid and comprehensive briefing on all aspects of national security, particularly the missile and nuclear programme of Pakistan.