The battlefield against Pakistan has changed. Wars are no longer being fought on borders. It is being fought elsewhere. Pakistan’s challenges have been successfully internalized by the enemy. All the major threats now come from within. It is necessary that our defense policy should also be formulated in the light of the needs of this new battlefield.
Like it or not, the reality is that we are operating on the second level of our autonomy. The first level of autonomy i.e. “Level One” is no more. “Level One” is when you make all your own decisions. The second level of autonomy, “Level Two” is when you cannot make some of your own decisions. Some important policy issues come from outside. The dictation from outside becomes more decisive for budgeting than you. You are apparently free and independent but you are forced in your decision making. Then comes the third level of autonomy i.e. “Level Three”. Here again, decisions also come from outside, policy is also sent by someone else and people come from outside to implement it, in the form of the United Nations or in any other form. Our borders are indeed secure, but if our economy does not recover, God willing, we will go to the third level of our sovereignty, i.e. “Level Three”. That will be a disaster unprecedented.
The army can deal with challenges from across the border
But the internal challenges have to be dealt with by the concerned institutions. The police department has to be improved for internal security. The enemy has entered, there is no knowing when and where the explosion will occur. For this, resources will have to be diverted according to the changing challenges. The police cannot cope with this challenge in the state of disorganization. It needs to be set up as an institution. Increase its budget, increase its capacity. Do population profiling to know who is where and what.
The nature of the challenges has become internalized, the strategy should also be addressed internally.
