The spectre of National Security is haunting Pakistan. Since the inception, there was not a single year when Pakistan was declared safe and secure. Official rhetoric has always been that Pakistan is under threat; both from internal and external forces. The result of this constant regime of fear, intimidation, and speculation is hopelessness among the populace and a rising level of apathy towards the future of the country. It is the right time for the state and its security institutions to realize that the myth of national security has no buyer in contemporary times. We are dead walking into darkness. The Government must shun the notions of ignoring the aspirations of the masses and living behind the comfort of the myth of national security.
“The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power.” This quote from George Orwell’s famous novel 1984 looks quite applicable to the present conditions of Pakistan. Successive governments have ignored the will and wishes of the common people. Unfortunately, the interests of the common people are contrary to that of the people holding absolute and unquestionable power in the state. In the name of national security, the unelected arms of the state have caused unlimited damage to the economic, social, and political interests of the common people. The myopic vision of every government has sidelined goals of national development and inclusive prosperity for all sections of the society.
The real emphasis of the state and its apparatus should be on improving the conditions of the masses. For instance, internal political stability should be ensured by empowering the democratic institutions. The elected representatives should have sole power to make the decisions of national importance. Transparency in government is unavoidable for national development. Good governance, through rule of accountability, rule of law, participation, and transparency, responsiveness should be the primary focus of national security
There is an impregnable difference between the policy and ground conditions. The National Security Policy 2022 has outlined a comprehensive framework of analysis. For the first time, the state has prudently recognized that human security is the backbone of national integration and political stability. Despite repetitive failures and setbacks. the officialdom has no inclination to uplift the conditions of the masses. The present trend of reliance on the military-centric mindset for national security is leading Pakistan nowhere. It is a mere delusion that in the current times where the world is incorporating AI, machine learning, fourth industrial revolution, and robotics in national development, we can remain secure by securing arms and ammunition from money taken from IMF and other sources.
It is the right time to give importance to human security. The first contour of human security is economic stability. Stats do not lie. The economic condition of Pakistan is on the course of deterioration. Let’s do simple maths. According to the budget documents released by the Ministry of Finance for the year 2024-2025, the total revenue is Rs 18,887 billion and only Rs 1,674 billion have been marked for national development. Such a lackadaisical situation cannot land us into an era of sustainable development, job creation, and financial stability of any sort.
On the other hand, human security is deeply embedded in food security and health security. Despite being an agricultural country, Pakistan has failed to provide sufficient food to its inhabitants. According to a recent report by State Bank of Pakistan (2023), more than 39 percent citizens do not have food security. All credit goes to the policy failures of the government. The most abject example is rampant corruption, rent seeking, and cronyism in wheat procurement this year. And when it comes to health, the conditions are deplorable. The federal government has provided just 0.005 percent of the GDP for the national health programmes, according to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. This hazard and problem-ridden emphasis on human security will not help the government to achieve the objectives of national security.
It is right to focus on the real issues of national security. Pakistan is neither a major power nor it should drain its already scarce resources in acting as one. First of all, the relations with the neighbouring countries must be improved. The defence and strategic realities cannot be ignored. Pakistan does not have amicable and celebrated relations with three of its neighbouring countries. It is time to restart the engagement with the neighbours on the grounds of bilateral equality, mutual peaceful coexistence, interdependence, and consensus-based resolution ofthe points of contention, if necessary deferring them.
After tackling the external front, the real problem exists at the internal level. Sectarian and ethnic tensions are becoming conflagrations. Government must pay heed to the democratic and constitutional demands of all sub-groups. Any lasting challenges to peace should be tackled with the force of the state, without any discrimination of good and bad.
The challenge of terrorism and extremism are profound. It is a challenge of our own making. Seminaries are breeding grounds of conservatism, extremism, and resultant acts of terrorism. Religious extremism is a labyrinth which requires a permanent solution. Any and every channel of sympathy with extremism should be closed through debate, dialogue, and lastly by the deployment of the kinetic means.
The real emphasis of the state and its apparatus should be on improving the conditions of the masses. For instance, internal political stability should be ensured by empowering the democratic institutions. The elected representatives should have sole power to make the decisions of national importance. Transparency in government is unavoidable for national development. Good governance, through rule of accountability, rule of law, participation, and transparency, responsiveness should be the primary focus of national security. In the words of Stephen P. Cohen: “Pakistan’s obsession with security is rooted in its geography and history, but it often comes at the cost of human development and governance.”
