The purpose of national security

National security is the ability of a state to cater to the protection and defense of its citizenry. Security areas consist of the creation of employment and measures against poverty, measures against hunger and famine. Measures against disease, unsafe food, malnutrition, lack of access to basic health care, measures against environmental degradation, resource depletion, natural disasters, and pollution, measures against physical violence, crime, terrorism, domestic violence, and child labor, measures against inter-ethnic, religious and other identity tensions and measures against political repression and human rights abuses. Official oratory has always been that Pakistan is under threat both from internal and external forces. This regime of fear results in despair among the population and a growing level of indifference towards the country’s future. Political parties pursue power only. They are not interested in the good of others; they are interested solely in power. Consecutive governments have overlooked the will and aspirations of the common people. Regrettably, the interests of the common people are opposed to those of the people holding outright and indisputable power in the state. In the name of national security, the unelected arms of the state have caused unrestricted damage to the common people’s economic, social, and political interests. The narrow-minded vision of every government has suspended objectives of national progress and comprehensive prosperity for all sections of society. There is an impenetrable variance between the policy and ground conditions. The National Security Policy 2022 has outlined a broad background of analysis. For the first time, the state sensibly recognized that human security is the strength of national integration and political stability. Despite repetitive frustrations and delays, the bureaucracy has no predisposition to elevate the conditions of the masses. The economic condition of Pakistan is on the course of deterioration. According to the budget documents released by the Ministry of Finance for the year 2024-2025, the total revenue is 18,887 billion rupees and only 1,674 billion rupees have been marked for national progress. Such a laidback situation cannot land us into an era of sustainable growth, job creation, and financial steadiness of any sort. On the other hand, human security unpretentiously depends on food security and health security. Despite being an agricultural country, Pakistan has failed to make available sufficient food to its citizens. According to the latest report by the State Bank of Pakistan, more than 39 percent of citizens do not have food security. The most miserable example is proliferating corruption in wheat procurement this year. Moreover, when it comes to health, the conditions are just disgraceful. The federal government has provided just 0.005 percent of the GDP for the national health programs, according to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute,. After tackling the external front, the real problem exists at the internal level. Sectarian and ethnic tensions are becoming blazes. Government must pay heed to the democratic and constitutional demands of all sub-groups. The force of the state should tackle any lasting challenges to peace, without any discrimination. Religious radicalism is a mess, which requires an enduring solution. Debate and dialogue can close any and every channel of extremism. The real emphasis of the state and its apparatus should be on improving the conditions of the masses. For instance, the state should ensure internal political stability by empowering democratic institutions. The elected representatives should have the sole power to make decisions of national importance. Transparency in government institutions is unavoidable for national development. Respectable governance, through the rule of accountability, rule of law, participation, and transparency, responsiveness should be the primary focus of national security. Moreover, any state stands to benefit from greater intra-state collaboration and cooperation, for greater interaction will help build trust and confidence.