INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SECURITY THREATS TO PAKISTAN

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INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SECURITY THREATS TO PAKISTAN

• The term security is often observed in the
  narrow-minded context, rarely do we go into the
  conceptual framework. Security is generalized in
  military suggestion but with the rapid
  developments in the existing world, different
  dimensions of it have come to the
  forefront.Security is an overriding priority
  for all nations. It is also fundamental for both
  disarmament and development. Security consists of
  not only military, but also political, economic,
  social, humanitarian and human rights and
  ecological aspects.

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• INTERNAL THREATS
• Internal threats are threats which a
  country has to face within its territory. These
  threats are more common rather than any other
  threats and have outrageous and destructive
  effects. Destruction of a countrys economy is
  the minor effect of these threats. These threats
  not only destabilize a country but also present a
  bad image of that country in front of the world.
  Most of the problems hurried interstate tensions
  and threats are created from within, by its
  geopolitics, its location

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• INTERNAL THREATS TO PAKISTAN
• Pakistan has fallen a prey of
  internal threats badly since coming into
  existence. The challenges of threats faced are,
  old as well as new. Along with its religious
  identity Pakistan is also a multi-ethnic,
  multi-lingual and multi-cultural state. These
  characteristics have created problems for her. As
  a consequence, it has experienced all varieties
  of internal conflicts, i.e. tribal insurgencies,
  ethnic and sectarian struggles, civil war, border
  conflicts, and conventional war. Few of the
  threats which confuse the internal security are
  from the history of disputable boundaries,
  cross-border diffusion of ethno-linguistic and
  religious groups, conflicting economic interests,
  problems in nation building and economic
  development. These internal threats lead to
  external interference in internal affairs.
  Pakistan due to its location in the region has
  been involved in major coalitions with big powers
  which create problems for Pakistan for their
  personal motives.

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• SECTARIAN/RELIGIOUS PROBLEMS
• 
  Pakistans internal security
  problem has been spoiled by the
  religious/sectarian problem. The sectarian threat
  poses a great danger, and could possibly be
  devastating for the country. Pakistan has been
  regarded by some observers as a weak and
  vulnerable state threatened by the force of
  ethnicity and sectarianism.

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• ETHNIC UNREST
• Another danger
  is the problem of ethnic unrest. Punjab, with
  almost 60 percent of the population, dominates
  almost all aspects of national life. Smaller
  ethnic groups, all of who have at one time been
  actively dissident, resent this fact.
  Sindh, one of the most
  industrious provinces of Pakistan faces a divide
  between urban prosperity and rural deprivation as
  no other province in Pakistan. Sindh is the most
  ethnically diverse of four provinces, due to both
  international transfers of peoples into the
  province during and subsequent to partition in
  1947 and to domestic internal migration.

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• REFUGEES
• The problem of refugees in
  Pakistan is a complex issue for Pakistan. It has
  further enhanced the already existing problems.
  It poses a serious threat to the security at
  various levels. The main invasion of refugees
  came from Afghanistan during the Soviet Unions
  invasion of Afghanistan. All the people who ran
  away for their lives entered Pakistan through the
  border at the North West Frontier Province
  (NWFP). About 3.5 million Afghan refugees entered
  into Pakistan over the last two decades.
• The presence of these Afghan
  refugees poses threat to the security of Pakistan
  at different levels. At the social level, the
  presence of Afghan refugees led to disturbance in
  the law and order situation, increasing violence
  and criminal activity, and aggravated ethnic
  tension in the NWFP as well as the Balochistan.
  The Afghan refugees do not form a group, as they
  belong to various tribes, with different tribal
  and judicial system, which results in tensions
  and conflict within groups and leads to
  bloodshed.

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• Arms. The refugees they brought illegal arms,
  without any license, which resulted in an
  abundance of small arms in Pakistan. The guns and
  small arms that the refugees brought with them,
  they sold it into the open market at very low
  prices.
• Drugs Another cause for concern was the
  involvement of the refugees in drug trafficking.
  They had free access to drugs like heroin that
  they smuggled through the borders into Pakistan.
  This made all these drugs easily accessible to
  the local society, which, resulted in increase of
  drug addiction. Economy of
  Pakistan is deeply affected by the refugees as
  well. In the early 80s the amount spent on these
  refugees per day crossed well over one million
  dollars per day. Though foreign donors funded
  half of this amount, some of the burden fell on
  the Pakistani economy. The government had to
  provide food, shelter for these refugees.

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• TERRORISM
• Terrorism, use of
  organized pressure, has been a major threat to
  Pakistans internal security. Pakistan has faced
  the threat of terrorism due to intolerance,
  suppression, and excessive violence, and economic
  and political discrimination, religious and
  ethnic division. Terrorism basically exists in
  two forms in Pakistan. The religious extremist
  groups, which have been outlawed and have been
  involved in sectarian killings or violence fall
  in this category, whose prime target is not
  foreign commercial targets but challenge the writ
  of government and the second one is supported by
  external sponsorship.
  Pakistan has been hostage to terrorist activities
  carried out by ethnic and religious groups. The
  religious groups used religion as a tool and
  expressed that due to control of not being free
  to actively practice religion, a reaction has
  occurred. The continued criticism of the
  pro-western policies. In reaction and to
  discourage the governments to go all out for
  those policies they create trouble by working
  into terrorist activities

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• POVERTY / POPULATION
• 
  Poverty and population interlinked, pose another
  threat to Pakistans internal security. There
  could be problems, which facilitate the growth of
  the other. The present rate at which Pakistan is
  developing in terms of its population growth rate
  it is estimated that in the year 2025, the
  population of Pakistan will be 263 million. This
  growth will lead to other problems for the
  country. With the proposed growth rate, the
  problems of meeting the basic needs of the
  citizens will be difficult. The average person
  living well below the poverty line will be
  further drawn into the turbulence of economic
  deprivation and embedded further deep into
  poverty. It will be difficult for the state to
  provide the basic services, which will require
  expansions.

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• EXTERNAL THREATS TO PAKISTAN
• External threats are those threats which a
  country has to be faced by other countries. As
  discussed in internal security threats that
  Pakistan has to face so many internal security
  threats. So, to control these internal threats
  Pakistan may be needed a lot of money and to
  obtain the money she may have to beg for the
  foreign aid in front the foreign country. The
  beggar country may be compiled by the foreign
  country who use to aid. So, as the foreign
  country wants, it would do.
• THREATS OF UNITED STATES TO PAKISTAN
  
• In terms
  of Pakistan's external security, the US using
  Jundullah through Balochistan to destabilize Iran
  undermines the socio-historical, cultural and
  political Pakistan-Iran relationship and creates
  its own destabilizing dynamics within Pakistani
  society. Perhaps the silliness of the US
  ignorance is reflected most clearly now in the
  statements coming from Obama's Special Envoy for
  this region, Richard Holbrooke. He showed it
  after his visit to Pakistan when he talked about
  people not being able to walk independently in
  Peshawar.

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• INDIAN FOREIGN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTERS
  STATEMENT
• 13th February, 2009
• I rise to
  inform the House of developments since this House
  last considered the result of the dishonorable
  terrorist attack on Mumbai. On December 12, 2008
  this House resolved, in a serious Resolution
  that "India shall not cease in her efforts until
  the terrorists and those who have trained, funded
  and supported them are exposed and brought to
  justice".

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• RECOMMENDATIONS for remedies
• 
  According to all of the above scenario, there are
  many things which have to be change. But I like
  to suggest a few things in order to help remove
  these threats from the country. These
  recommendations are as follows
• 1. EDUCATION
  
• The first effort
  should be on the educational front. Pakistan has
  made significant improvement in its literacy rate
  in the last ten years. There is a popular
  national consensus about the importance of
  education. It is important to develop the
  curricula and syllabi of the first twelve years
  of education and to rewrite books on Islamic
  studies, social studies, history, Urdu, and
  English for all school levels to strengthen the
  elements which deal with, the rights of others,
  tolerance, justice and love

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• GOVERNANCE
• The quality of
  governance needs to be improved. The weak
  political institutions need to be developed, in a
  manner that the evolutionary process of democracy
  takes a smooth walk. Bold and decisive leadership
  that can make the hard choices between
  consumption and investment, education, defense
  spending, economic and human development needs to
  be there. Leadership that shows integrity in its
  personal and public dealings, and that make
  policies, which are free of all misconducts and
  corruption.
  Civil and military relations needs to be
  addressed, a harmony between them needs to be
  created to create a pleasant political
  environment. Social, diplomatic, military and
  economic policies should be formulated between
  the two which guard the national interest of the
  state and which in the long-term perspective does
  not pose a threat.

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• SECTARIANISM
  An ongoing dialogue between the leaders of the
  two groups at a national as well as at the city
  level is important. Many times, culprits of the
  violence between the two groups have been unknown
  gunmen who have killed at either Sunni or Shia
  Masjids with no one claiming any responsibility.
  Most leaders from both sides are not involved in
  the violence. Most Masjids do not preach violence
  against any group. Then who starts these fights?

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• ETHNICITY / MINORTIES
  Civil leadership should
  facilitate dialogue between the ethnic groups in
  Sindh to create a balance and harmony. Contact
  should be established between the ethnic groups
  so that they can talk out their grievances and
  redress the situation. A common cause for the
  betterment of the society should be established
  between the two.
  The minorities should be treated
  appropriately. Positive relationship should be
  worked out between the Muslims and the
  non-Muslims. A pleasant environment should be
  created where the minorities do not feel
  neglected and contribute in building Pakistan as
  a better state

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• TERRORRISM
• Internally Pakistan
  should deal with sectarianism as that is posing a
  lot of terrorist threats to the security. With
  emphasis on controlling internal threats of
  terrorism, external the threats should also not
  be ignored as they act as feeders to the internal
  threats.
  The Iranian connection to supporting the
  danger of terrorism could not be ruled out. They
  are funding the sectarian groups who are
  following their agenda.

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• IMMIGRATION/BORDER
  Whether its the border
  with India, Afghanistan, Iran, or the seashores,
  with the exception of the northeast, Pakistans
  borders are by and large only monitored on road
  crossings. This leads to the general problem of a
  growing illegal population and penetration.
  
  Smuggling also flourishes in Pakistan due to the
  border situation. There are well-known bazaars
  throughout the country, which sell smuggled
  goods. Last year in Zhob, which borders
  Afghanistan, I found pickup trucks, which were
  ten percent of the cost of these vehicles in
  Karachi. You can find cheaper and better cows
  closer to the borders of India in Sindh, where
  people smuggle grain and oils to India in
  exchange for cows, which Hindus dont want to
  slaughter themselves