By: Muhammad Hammad Ahmed
APS attack of 16th December jolted the very existence of her which compelled civil-military leadership for the formulation of national action plan and effective strategy for the elimination of terrorism and radicalism.
The dawn of 21st century has brought many changes in the global world. Frequent armed conflicts and terrorism threaten the security and the ability of the people to live their lives peacefully. In order to survive in this chaotic situation, a state has to rely on self-help for it protection and national security. National security can be understood as the capability of a state to resist internal and external threats to its physical environment or core values. It is defined as the ability of a nation to protect its internal values from external threats. This very concept has two dimensions i.e. security from external as well as internal threats. As far as the external threats are concerned, these are the threats which are coming from the outside of the territory and can be catered by elements like economy, military power, diplomacy, scientific advancement etc. Internal threats can be explained as those threats coming from within the state and can be in the form of rebellious groups; arise due to lack of equality, poor economic condition and imposing of certain terms and conditions by donor state, terrorist activities by non-state actors and political instability. When a state is threatened from within, it becomes very difficult to identify the enemy and to curb the threat. As there is no absolute security, it is always relative and situational. Still, there are some of the pre-requisites of national security i.e. economic stability, promotion of democracy, stable civil-military relationship, uniform education system, formulation and implementation of national security policy and a clear understanding of perceived threats and how to counter them by resisting conflicts.
Pakistan has been prone to multifaceted security concerns i.e. porous border, influx of refugees, menace of terrorism, political instability in FATA and Baluchistan region, insurgency by India etc. since the inception of her on the world map on 14th, August 1947, It has been blessed with numerous resources and a significant geographical location but these blessings have become security concerns for her right after its independence. Despite these concerns, Pakistan has had the potential to play important role in the international comity. Due to its importance, the beginning of 21st century turned the table for her as it was chosen as the front-line ally of U.S to combat terrorism and in war on terror in South-Asia especially in Afghanistan after 9/11 attack on world trade center and Pentagon.
For this, Pakistan had to change its national security policy towards its people and against Taliban regime and launched military operations in FATA and Baluchistan. It created serious after effects due to turn around of security policy and it has been suffering security issues since then in terms of suicide bombing, terrorists attacks, insurgency in outskirts of Baluchistan and FATA, political unrest by non-state actors, rising of multiple rebellious groups. APS attack of 16th December jolted the very existence of her which compelled civil-military leadership for the formulation of national action plan and effective strategy for the elimination of terrorism and radicalism. Since then, multiple military operations have been launched against these non-state actors and insurgents to control the chaotic situation within its territory.
Pakistan’s security challenges are multidimensional with diverse internal and external dynamics for which Pakistan has to implement its security policy effectively. It has been trying to fight against all evils since inception and has suffered a lot in terms of menace of terrorism, militancy, insurgency and increasing presence of non-state actors. Current chaotic situation also demands the same national security outlook for which Pakistan has to understand all its dilemmas and factors to run with the same potential in the international comity. It has to deal and address all its internal threats as these are threats which are challenging the very existence of her. By understanding all the reasons and the relation amongst them, Pakistan can devise a collaborative strategy with the help of stable civil-military relationship to cater all its security concerns and to eradicate the menace of terrorism and militancy from its territory.
The writer is Mphil student at National Defence University, Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected]
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the ‘The Dayspring’
