Threats To External And Internal Security Of Pakistan In The Age Of Globalization

We live in an era of globalization,where the question of security has emerged in a new form and character.In this dissertation,an attempt has been made to assess the current external as well as internal security threats to Pakistan and to investigate feasible remedial measures to enhance the national structure on domestic fronts.As evident from the title,this dissertation revolves around the internal and external security threats to Pakistan in the light of globalization.Various external and internal security threats to Pakistan,weaknesses of our national response,and viable countermeasures are proposed in this dissertation.This topic is one of Pakistan’s most critical burning issues and is well recognized nationally and internationally as it evaluates the characteristics of the social order in Pakistan from several perspectives to find out the causes of domestic unrest and stresses the primary factors contributing in the peace of our society.The importance of this research study further increases as the articles and study papers available on this topic are still in want of more input to chalk out viable solutions of the problems/counter actions.In this dissertation,an active attempt has been made to assess the flaws of the security structure of Pakistan in order to propose practical countermeasures.In order to achieve progress and prosperity,all Pakistan need is sincerity,cooperation,and unity.The origin of the domestic security challenges of a country can be traced from the internal and external quarters.India and Afghanistan,the two immediate neighbors,pose a conventional or external threat to the stability of Pakistan.Furthermore,global powers like United States and Russia also threaten the stability of Pakistan due to their changing interests in the global order setting.On the other hand,internal threats to Pakistan are due to the domestic political,ethnic,sectarian,extremism and Jihadi culture prevalent in the country.It is often carried out by external activities.According to the official nationalism of Pakistan,the country was created on the basis of the two-nation theory,which clearly states that the Indian Muslims are a separate and distinct community for the Hindu nation.Right from the beginning of its inception,Pakistan has boundary and ideological conflicts with its neighbors on the Eastern and Western borders.This nation has also stayed turbulent in its internal political and ethnic composition because of racial diversity,political instability,corruption,weak institutions,extremism,sectarianism,social intolerance,terrorism,and so many other issues.Not only this but also regional and extra-regional developments also played an essential part in the internal insecurity of the country.The nation has seen several uprising,i.e.in Baluchistan,East Pakistan,etc.which occurred because of the internal and external factors.Unfortunately,countless separatist voices also echoed repeatedly throughout the history of Pakistan,which was driven by selfish nationalists.These secessionist components not only led to foreign conspiracies but also caused internal unrest.The events like the 1971 separation of East Pakistan,the 1973 to 1978 insurgency of Baluchistan,the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,and further developments including huge influx of refugees to Pakistan were a turning point in the history of Pakistan.Pakistan has,therefore,to deal with the brunt of religious extremism,sectarianism,trafficking of drugs and weaponization,etc.The disintegration of USSR and unilateralism subsequently exacerbated the scenario,leading to global power imbalance,with little control over the discriminatory design of the only superpower.After the incident of 9/11,the global war on terrorism started with the attack of the United States forces on Afghanistan.Pakistan decided to join the United States under pressure.This attack not only brought turmoil on the soil of Afghanistan but also exacerbates the Pakistani security risks by propelling Al-Qaeda and Taliban into Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA)and Baluchistan.The Taliban and several other religious organizations present in Pakistan were angered and resorted to anti-government operations.Pakistan has countless complexities embedded in its folds,both demographically and racially.It is a country with Muslims as a majority,but unfortunately some of the religious figures often exploit religious issues.In the country,political voices tend to be below the line of maturity and usually continue to be dividing on fundamental national problems with absence of unity and cohesion.The Pakistani media has begun to create chaos and negativity in society by leg-pulling tactics and targeting weak institutions of government.There are pieces of evidence that some foreign powers together with the help of domestic elements are secretly attempting to malign Pakistan’s armed forces.They want to create a gap between the armed forces and the masses so that the state’s center of gravity can be weakened.The anti-Pakistan forces thus wish to achieve their nefarious designs of maligning and rolling back of the nuclear program of Pakistan.Moreover,there is an enormous regional and linguistic diversity in Pakistan.Today,the fabric of Pakistan’s society is eroding very rapidly due to the continuing threat of terrorism and other social disorders.It has been rightly said that the political destiny of Pakistan is at a crossroads.It may be caught in the trauma of weak governance,politics-as-usual,economic instability and breakdown of public belief in government organizations,or it can take advantage of the ongoing social changes to draw a new course.The ongoing internal security challenges that are an immense threat to the stability and security of Pakistan are extremism,radicalism,sectarianism,jihadi culture,and ethnicity.All these challenges have led to the menace of terrorism,which is the most significant security challenge to the state and its people.All these external and internal security problems have increased the incidents of terrorism in the country.We are living in the age of globalization,where information from one place to other transfers within seconds.Globalization has changed the world and brought it closer as it has lead to the smooth movement of people,things and money across the borders and also has facilitated the communication system.In short,globalization has improved the standard of life and makes it more accessible.This is one side of globalization.The same facets that have improved the lives of citizens across the world now threaten them.The evil forces present in the world,i.e.the terrorist organizations are now using the same facets of globalization to promote terrorist activity.This research study examines the level to which globalization has helped in the creation of a permissive atmosphere in which terrorism in Pakistan has flourished.In order to determine this,the link between globalization and terrorism is analyzed.In this regard the study has discussed various international as well as local terrorist organizations that are working in Pakistan.Moreover,it assesses various ways through which they operate.It is seen that the terrorist organizations present in Pakistan have made significant progress in their modes of operation,but the tactics used by them are mostly typical ones,and they are not as advanced as the Islamic State(IS).Modem technology like drones,cyber weapons,and latest mobile apps are not used by them.The reason behind this is that they are not that educated.However,with the availability of mobile phones,internet,development of media and information technology,the terrorists get information quickly of their place of target.The primary conclusion of this dissertation is that globalization has helped in the creation of a permissive atmosphere in which terrorism in Pakistan has flourished.Moreover,globalization has also helped the different terrorist organizations in their activities by utilizing technology(especially Information and Communications Technology(ICT)).This dissertation reveals that globalization has led to the development of a permissive environment in which terrorism has thrived in the country.Terrorism is a threat to not only the state of Pakistan but also the nations of the world.Most countries are frequently facing the danger of terrorism in this modern period.These countries should work together to combat terrorism in the form of treaties and international organizations.In this regard one international organization,the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO)is discussed in the dissertation.Pakistan became its part in 2017.It is the regional organization that is playing its role in safeguarding the human rights of its member countries in order to achieve peace and security by eliminating all forms of violence taking place as a result of terrorism.The SCO can help Pakistan to get rid of the menace of terrorism by engaging in different anti counterterrorism activitiesIn the conclusion part,a series of pragmatic strategies and suggestions have been provided to address the security challenges for secure homeland environments.This research study is significant in a way that it would lead the general public to think about how to protect the nation from internal and external perils.The recommendations given at the end would give the state institutions and the national leadership the food for thought in order to combat the tragedies in Pakistan.