National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said on Thursday that organised terrorist networks are operating in Afghanistan.

Briefing the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on the internal and external security situation, Moeed said that Afghan soil was still being used against Pakistan.

Speaking about the ceasefire agreement with Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Yusuf said that TTP had broken the month-long ceasefire agreement with the government unilaterally.

Talking about the National Security Policy (NSP), he informed the NA panel that it took seven years to prepare, adding that the policy will be implemented after approval from the parliament.

Yusuf said that the NSP had been drafted for the next five years and that the Kashmir issue was also the part of the policy.

The policy concerned the economic security of the country and the common man, Yusuf added.

Later after briefing the Committee, he said in a tweet that it was a pleasure to brief the NA body.

"Had a very productive discussion on the National Security Policy (NSP) and Afghanistan. I am grateful for the appreciation we received for our work from members of the committee," he added.

Earlier in the day, in an interview with the Beijing Review NSA Moeed Yusuf said the safety of foreigners in the country is Pakistan’s responsibility, and concerns of Chinese workers and engineers working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are taken seriously.

Yusuf said that some countries and their proxy actors do not want the CPEC to succeed as they view the Pakistan-China partnership as a “threat”.

The NSA acknowledged that there had been a number of attacks on the CPEC projects, highlighting that India supported and funded them through anti-Pakistan militant organisations operating from third countries.

Regardless, clear evidence of the strength of the Pakistan-China relationship is that we have come out stronger and further strengthened our security protocols, he added.

Rest assured, he continued, all inimical forces working at the behest of external powers to undermine the CPEC will be defeated. "We now have a mechanism to ensure the security of each and every Chinese citizen in Pakistan."

Since the start of the project in 2014, as per Yusuf, significant progress has been made on the ground. In the first phase, energy and infrastructure development were the focus. So far, projects with a combined installed capacity of more than 9 gigawatts have been completed and work on other energy projects is continuing apace. To streamline internal connectivity, roads have also been built throughout the country.

“We are entering the second phase, which is critical for industrialization in Pakistan and connectivity between China, Pakistan and the rest of the world. This phase will involve investment in a range of sectors, including agriculture and science and technology. Special economic zones will also be created to lead our industrialization process,” he added.

He said these projects would contribute to internal physical connectivity, job creation, agricultural modernization and industrial expansion in our country. Most importantly, we envisage CPEC to be a springboard for transforming Pakistan into a regional connectivity and trade hub.

For China, Pakistan offers an attractive investment destination. Manufacturing and services, which may have become financially uncompetitive in China, can freely utilize these new opportunities in Pakistan to lower costs.