Sher Ali Bukhari<\/p>\n
Security has been a defining fea\u00adture of international relations for ages. Traditionally, security has been defined as deterrence against any external aggression. More specif\u00adically from a traditional lens, security has been viewed as securing borders from any ag\u00adgression of external enemies since much of human histo\u00adry. Prominent security schol\u00adars from Sun Tzu to Clausewitz, this sense of security has prevailed which forced monarchies and king\u00addoms to have a powerful military force and modernization of troops through\u00adout the history of sapiens.
\nHowever, since the end of the Cold War (Dec 1991), this traditional con\u00adcept of security has been challenged and the scope of security has expanded and broadened in many dimensions. Promi\u00adnent international and security analysts opined that in the 21st century secur\u00ading borders from external aggression does not provide a complete spectrum of security due to the complex and ever-changing nature of war and peace in in\u00adternational scenarios.
\nTherefore, eminent international scholar Barry Buzan opined that secu\u00adrity is all about the capability of a state to maintain its independence, ideology, and functional integrity. In this regard, security can be redefined in many ways like political security, economic securi\u00adty, societal security, environmental secu\u00adrity, cyber security, human security, and military security. All of these security di\u00admensions combined to come up with a comprehensive sense of security.
\nLet\u2019s talk about political security which is defined as a peaceful and sta\u00adble sense of politics and political na\u00adture within the domestic territory of the country, ensuring a peaceful transfer of power. Political security is a subset of all other security in today\u2019s world and pro\u00advides a reservoir for other sense of se\u00adcurity. For example, America has been able to exact its power across the globe due to political security and peaceful transfer of power since 1797. Much of China\u2019s economic prosperity has been directly linked with political stability in China which builds business confidence and fiscal policy continuity, paving the pathway of China\u2019s trajectory to become the world\u2019s next superpower. Regard\u00ading Pakistan, one can observe that many of the ills of Pakistan are deeply rooted in political disability and polarization in the country since its independence. Rapid change of governments, disrupt the power of transfer, and weak politi\u00adcal institutions provided a perfect rec\u00adipe for political instability. Therefore, Pakistan needs political stability and a peaceful transfer of power for compre\u00adhensive security plans.
\nMeanwhile, economic security is an\u00adother important pillar of non-traditional security in the present age. A strong and peaceful economy uplifts the standing of the nation in the international com\u00admunity and its people\u2019s lifestyle. For ex\u00adample, since President Deng\u2019s economic reforms and opening up of the econo\u00admy, China\u2019s economy was able to regis\u00adter double the digital growth rate, and today its GDP stands at around $19 tril\u00adlion- the second largest economy- and its per capita income is around $12000. Owing to such an impressive econom\u00adic growth rate, China was able to lift 900 million people out of the poverty line in the last forty years. More inter\u00adestingly, the Chinese trajectory to the second largest economy can boost its influence and soft power in the interna\u00adtional community. BRI, SCO and BRICS Plus are some of the Chinese-led initia\u00adtives, showing the influence of the coun\u00adtry due to its powerful economy. Look\u00ading at Pakistan, this country, although became an economic model of growth in the 1950s and 1960s, yet poor economic choices forced Pakistan to approach IMF 23 times for a bailout package. The cur\u00adrent account deficit, trade deficit, infla\u00adtion, unemployment, and inconsistent fiscal choices are chief reasons for the economic downfall of Pakistan, and re\u00adducing its influence in the international community. Therefore, Pakistan needs a comprehensive economic plan to have a strong foundation for its economy.
\nIn the meantime, Pakistan also needs societal security which revolves around the peaceful living of different commu\u00adnities, ethnicities, and religious groups within the community. Unfortunate\u00adly, growing intolerance and hatred have cracked this sense of security in this country. Pakistan needs a Singapore model of peaceful co-existence within the country. Tolerance, mixing, peace, debate, and acceptance could yield unity in diversity, resulting in overall societal peace and security.
\nMoving forward, environmental secu\u00adrity has also become a defining feature of the 21st century and is directly linked with peace and war on the international front. Heatwaves, droughts, rapid melt\u00ading of glaciers and ice sheets, urban flooding, deforestation, rise and acidi\u00adty of oceans, and ecological collapse of ecosystems are major outfalls of climate change and global warming. Pakistan has ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country as per the Global Climate Index (2023). As per internal and external as\u00adsessment reports, the country\u2019s climate crisis could trigger political and eco\u00adnomic crises. Thus, this country needs a comprehensive environmental securi\u00adty- which also includes food and water security- framework for combating cli\u00admate change. In this regard, both gov\u00adernmental and individual-level efforts are required to provide bulletproof cli\u00admate security.
\nMeanwhile, in the age of artificial intel\u00adligence, big data, and biotechnology, cy\u00adber security has become the need of the hour. Without cyber security, any coun\u00adtry remains vulnerable before its ene\u00admies. It is worth noting that a breach of cyber security could result in political polarization, fake news, deep-fakes, eco\u00adnomic loss, power shortage, etc. There\u00adfore, cyber security has become a sub\u00adset of other non-traditional security. In this context, Pakistan should implement its first National Cyber Security Policy (2021) in its letter and spirit.
\nFurthermore, human security, a con\u00adcept coined by prominent Pakistan econ\u00adomist Mahbub ul Haq, resolves around providing basic amenities to its popula\u00adtion like education, healthcare and oth\u00ader fundamental rights. Experts view that human security is directly linked with political stability and economic sustain\u00adability. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been losing ground on human security since the 1990s compared to its region. There\u00adfore, without providing human security, Pakistan\u2019s future stands at teetering.
\nLastly, this country has been in the midst of a gulf of terrorism since the dawn of this century. Proxies like TTP and BLA have been getting full-spec\u00adtrum support from our rival coun\u00adtries, disrupting peace and stability in the country and tolling the death rate each day along with economic loss of billions. Therefore, Pakistan must come up with military and non-military means to uproot the evils of terrorism. Interestingly, all recent national doc\u00aduments like National Security Policy (2022-26) recognized both traditional and non-traditional security challeng\u00ades of the country and provided a citi\u00adzen-centric nature of comprehensive security, moving away from the single-handed nature of security.<\/p>\n
The writer is a UET alumni with keen interest in Pakistan\u2019s foreign policy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sher Ali Bukhari Security has been a defining fea\u00adture of international relations for ages. Traditionally, security has been defined as deterrence against any external aggression. More specif\u00adically from a traditional lens, security has been viewed as securing borders from any ag\u00adgression of external enemies since much of human histo\u00adry. Prominent security schol\u00adars from Sun Tzu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13343],"class_list":{"0":"post-418662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-sher-ali-bukhari"},"yoast_head":"\n