Daily Times

In my last week’s article “Domestic Politics versus State Security (Part-I)” published in Daily Times on June 5, 2023, I pointed out certain accesses in domestic politics that were causing stress on the state’s security. However, I had promised that in Part II, I will make an effort to suggest the remedial measures for the incumbent regime to bring back Pakistan from the verge of default and strengthen the state’s security in turn.

The most worrisome faultline remains the poor state of the people of Pakistan when evaluated through the lens of human security. Most of the developing and developed states have the well-being of the people as their vital or survival national interest and work vigorously towards the accomplishment of this particular interest. However, in Pakistan’s case, even if it was figured out in the First National Security Policy Document, released in March 2022, there is no visible effort by the incumbent regime, at least.

Since the state belongs to the people of Pakistan, the governments come and go, and their decision-making suits their domestic political agenda only, therefore, it is our collective responsibility to keep advising the in-place government, regardless of our political affiliations.

To maintain objectivity, I will be following the same evaluation methodology, and these brief suggestions would be towards the possible improvement on the scale of human security, in the following domains: personal, political, community, economic, food, health, and environment.

Elections are an intrinsic element of democracy and must be held on time according to the Constitutional provisions.

First, personal security, efforts must be made to ensure that people feel secure in their homes, streets, workplaces, and within the bounds of their beloved country. It is their fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan. No matter what, the safety and security of each individual is the responsibility of the state, executed through its law enforcement agencies (LEAs), and protected by the judicial system of Pakistan. It is incumbent upon the government to ensure that the LEAs are not harassing the common people for their political affiliations, and the civil society is free to organize their activities within the legal bounds of the state. Remember, a satisfied person is an asset to the state, whereas a disgruntled person is an easy prey for the perpetrators of hybrid warfare against Pakistan. It is necessary to insist that when it comes to the personal security of the citizens or residents of the state, the political agenda must take a back seat to avoid accumulating dissatisfied people among your ranks.

Second is the political security. Generally, if the personal security of the people is ensured, the probability of sound political security would be high. However, if the political victimization continues to suit the agenda of the incumbent regime, then the combination of personal and political insecurities would act as a time bomb for the national security of the state. It is strongly recommended that all registered political parties are permitted to undertake legally authorized activities to promote their party manifestoes. Elections are an intrinsic element of democracy and must be held on time according to the Constitutional provisions. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that it provides a level playing field to all political leaders and parties so that a law and order situation does not arise as an outcome of legal political activity. Most importantly, all state institutions must refrain from any type of political engineering or interference in the governance of the state, because it is the sole responsibility of the elected government, and they will be answerable to the people of Pakistan in the next elections.

Third is community security. In case personal and political security is guaranteed by the state as per the Constitutional Rights of the people, the probability of sound community security would be high. Pakistan is a very diverse state as far as the demography is concerned. It is not a single nation-state, though it may nearly be a common religious state. Pakistan is home to several ethnic, and sectarian communities, which have distinct languages, cultures, and practices, and they take pride in that, and rightly so. Therefore, the government must deal with matters related to community security with extreme care, because there have been excesses against the Hazara community in the past, causing extremely tense and uncalled-for security situations.

This article was aimed at suggesting some doable measures for the incumbent regime that would give them some moral standing in the next elections, as and when they take place. However, due to the paucity of space, the remedial measures for all the elements of human security could not be covered, but In Sha Allah, in Part III, the remaining aspects: economic security, food security, health security, and environmental security will be covered in brief.

(To be Continued)

The writer of this article has authored two international books: “Nuclear Deterrence and Conflict Between India and Pakistan” and “South Asia Needs Hybrid Peace.”