The concept of national security is continually evolving in international contemporary affairs. The national security is built upon on the thoughts and ideas to protect the nation, citizens and its individuals from the internal and external threats through societal, economic strengthen, law enforcement, intelligence and diplomacy. Since the 1947 partition of the subcontinent in to Pakistan and India, Pakistan’s national security experience has been centred on defending borders, such as Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and addressing political and security confrontations with India, particularly over Kashmir. While also preparing to counter both conventional and non-conventional conflict, especially in relation to India.
Pakistan’s national security has expanded beyond military defense to include economic, environmental, and cyber dimensions.
On the western side, Pakistan needs to curb the threats of terrorism and promote cross-border trade with Iran. Pakistan showed commitment to regional peace through dialogue. The balanced approach with security and cooperation is surely beneficial. Recently, Pakistan’s bilateral diplomatic communication has improved with the United States, Europe Union, China, Russia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan etc. After Pahalgam Incident 2025, both India and Pakistan adopted Tit for Tat diplomatic measures, pushing UN to urge both nations to have maximum restraint. Even the nations choose the path of peace or conflict, but power ensures safety and security. Due to the India and Pakistan crisis 2025, a shadow of fragile peace has been cast over South Asia. In this situation of geopolitical realignment, Pakistan’s leadership regional tour holds high importance.
While Pakistan and China share a strategic cooperation and CPEC (infrastructure project), approx. $62 billion valued project part of Belt and Road Initiative, offers long-term economic opportunities, however it also rises concerns for strategic dependencies for less economically developed countries like Pakistan. The complex national security situation of Pakistan, along with the geopolitics and geostrategic changes in region brings us to the understanding that in international relation, national interest is permanent, states cannot change their neighbors but the relations among neighboring states can fluctuate to low level or high level.
However, the 21st century has brought transformation in national security dynamics around the world. Today national security in Pakistan focuses on range of non-traditional threats from economic crises, terrorism, climate change, cyber security and public health emergencies. This strategic shifting reflects a growing understanding that military strength alone cannot guarantee national survival in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, whereas the democracies are declining in the world and challenged by the rise of populist and authoritarian regimes.
A clear understanding of realpolitik and security issues offers nation-states the opportunity to address their national security threats by preparing effective safety measures. Since the 1947, Pakistan security concerns due to the traditional rivalry with India, included armed conflicts 1948, 1965, 1971 and 1999 Kargil conflict, military-dominated security framework in realism perspective prevail. Pakistan solidified its defence strategy in relevance to hard power by conducting nuclear tests in May 1998. The critical strategic security asset of any nation is its military.
Pakistan maintains an estimated 170 nuclear warheads reported by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI, 2024. In the fiscal year 2024-2025, historically defense spending has been high 2.12 trillion (2,120 billion) PKR, considerable increase of 17.62 % from last year FY 2023-2024. Experts say an over 40 % hike in the current defense budget of $7.53 billion expected in budget for FY2025-2026 to defend country against its potential adversaries.
The broader national strategic security outlook is demanding as complex challenges have re-emerged. Tensions arising from internal and external factors may impact nations trajectory, leading it toward either escalation or de-escalation in its relations. The full-scale conventional war between India and Pakistan can be a disastrous for the both nuclear armed nations.
Despite high defense spending, Pakistan faces critical non-traditional threats like terrorism, water scarcity, and climate change.
In recent India and Pakistan Crisis 2025, following the Pahalgam incident the hostile situation escalated, supporters of active conflict, hot war or full-scale war may fail to grasp the catastrophic consequences, as devasting psychological and financial consequences on the people and young generation future. With active youth-citizens participation, Pakistan needs to be a beneficiary in the changing world order through institutional reforms internally and balancing foreign relations externally and manage the issues of weak governance, debt and fiscal mismanagement for the national stability by prioritizing long term institution building, not just rely on short term gains.
The post-9/11 era marked a security centric turning point for particularly for Pakistan and world in general. US and Pakistan has shared the love-hate relationship. General Joseph Votel, the US CENTCOM (Central Command) 2019 stated: Whereas Pakistan always a country of importance to the US. Pakistan nuclear-armed nation and positioned at the nexus of Chinese, Russian, Indian, Iranian and US geopolitical interest. Beyond military concerns, non-traditional threats began dominating the security landscape. Global Terrorism Index 2025 report highlights that since 2007, Pakistan, Syria and Mali have experienced the largest terrorist activity.
In 2024, Pakistan faced second biggest rise in terrorism due to deaths and the number increase up to 45%, reaching 1,081. Between 2023 and 2024 deaths almost doubled. According to the (NACTA) National Counter Terrorism Authority; Pakistan have experienced a rise in terrorism over the past 20 to 25 years. From 2021 to 2022, Pakistan has lost 83 thousand lives and suffer more than 35 trillion rupees in financial losses. The National Prevention of Violent Extremism Policy 2024 aims to addressing root causes of violent extremism by supporting national and social media to promote values of peace and promote social harmony and human rights.
Paigham-i-Pakistan a consensus decree (fatwa) issued in 2018 signed by 1800 religious scholars belonging to all the Muslims sects in Pakistan considered as a national narrative against the extremism. Pakistan’s military operations, specifically Zarb-e-Azb (2014) and Radd-ul-Fassad (2017) accordingly the principles of defensive realism prioritizing national security. Zarb-e-Azb aimed to secure the state survival by responded to the immediate existential threats from the militant groups and exhibit limited aspect of the offensive realism. Radd-ul-Fasaad focused to targeting the remaining threats across the country and promoted the internal stability, counter radicalization, embrace elements of constructivism. In recent history, through the both military operations and influencing internal social measures as Pakistan tried to safeguard its national security.
Despite having promising and talented youth population, the challenge of underemployment in Pakistan affects thousands/millions of graduates, especially youth and women, working below their potential. With respect to the internal security the eeconomic vulnerabilities and inflation have become significant issue for common people survival. As per the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2018, 36.9% of household were food insecure and UNICEF (2024) support to reduce acute malnutrition as one in five children in Pakistan acutely malnourished.
Sustainably ensuring food availability and food production is a global critical issue. In 2016, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources warned that the country could become “water-scarce” by 2025, now people should practices water safety measures to avoid internal disputes. Due to the utilization of old methods 60% of irrigation water is wasted and the 30% of land is damaged. Whereas IMF ranks Pakistan among the top 3 countries facing a severe water crisis and solution lies in the utilization of better water use and adopting modern solution like smart framing. Pakistan’s security challenges further intensify due to climate change and natural disasters.
Regional cooperation through SAARC and SCO can help Pakistan address cross-border challenges effectively.
In the world, all countries have bigger challenges, as our world is facing issues including climate change, misinformation and population growth. For this reason, the international community should actively play its part. Mature and serious countries have a bigger vision, and people are looking towards progress of humanity, to which nations and international community have to deal with. According to Germanwatch 2025 report on the Global Climate Risk Index 2022, Pakistan ranked 1st in facing extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and glacier melts with losses amounting to 54$ billion.
The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) study highlighted that 2022 floods were particularly devastating, affecting 33 million people and causing economic losses exceeding $30 billion, UN report health crisis from waterborne diseases among 08 million displaced. According to US International Trade Administration, Pakistan’s Commercial Guide; like around the world the cyber security threats in Pakistan include cyber bulling, spoofing, identity online thefts, digital piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, malicious software, intellectual property rights (IPR) violations, money laundering, denial of online services, electronic terrorism, cyber vandalism and pornography.
According to worldometer data Pakistan’s healthcare system suffered to covid-19 pandemic with 1,581,936 cases, deaths 30,664, and recovered 1,538,689. Meanwhile, with government and private contributions from social sector institutions like the Indus Hospital & Health Network and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, like many other many supporting Pakistan’s healthcare system. No healthcare system is perfect and evolve to meet growing need and diverse population.
Pakistan’s first ever National Security Policy 2022-2026 understanding these shifting dynamics. The NSP prioritizing geo-economics and highlighting economic security, regional connectivity, human development and climate resilience as fundamental pillars, alongside traditional defense. Updating the initially launched 2012 Climate Change policy in 2021 and adoption of Cybersecurity policy in 2021 is important but however, inconsistency in policy implementation often delay by lack of political instability, public awareness and weak coordination among institutions.
Pakistan’s journey toward a holistic national security model is significantly importance. While civil-military relations require an adjustment, with a greater role for youth and civilian leadership involvement in policymaking, especially in education, economic, environmental and social domain. With 64% of the country’s population under 30, that youth bulge is an asset to learn and contribute to the social sciences, applied sciences, artificial intelligence, fintech, and cyber security industry.
With the emergence of regionalism, regionalist politics of a region are centred on a specific territory and nations for regional cooperation. Most populated but one of the least integrated in term of economy and trade is South Asia region. Opportunities for collaborative responses to cross-border threats can be captured through South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Human capital development is a significant need of the time. According to world bank, investing in education and skills is essential for long-term security. According to Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Pakistan’s current literacy rate is 62.3 whereas an estimated population of 60 million is illiterate in the country and out of school children estimated over 22.8 million.
For improving the nutritional status of children across Pakistan, Allah Walay Trust (AWT) School Khana Program sets a good example in collaboration with National Nutrition Initiative (NNI) under Federal government, serves per month 2.39M (2,392,000), boosting school attendance and enrolment by 33%. A total of 0.1M (100,000) meals are served daily, including in Lahore, Islamabad, Gilgit, Skardu, Chilas and Faisalabad. In 2024, a total of 6.7M (6,700,000) students were fed, with a school meal target 20.8M (20,800,000) in 2025. Furthermore, an integrated governance model is needed, one that connects defence strategies with human, economic, environmental and technological policies and effective implementation.
Youth participation and institutional reforms are essential for Pakistan’s sustainable national security and prosperity.
Pakistan’s leadership stressed on “peace is our preference, but it must not be construed as our weakness.” The traditional national security framework needs broader evolving concept of national interest as it is essential to keep strong defense capabilities, emphasis must now be placed on securing economic development, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, public health and digital infrastructure. Throughout its history, Pakistan has experienced political and religious extremism, dictatorships, democratic governments, and hybrid regimes; yet by passing through such political turmoil, Pakistan continues to move forward because of public goodwill and active citizen participation in the country’s political environment.
In international relations, physical borders define the territorial sovereignty and control, but they cannot fully address modern cross-border global challenges like cyber threats, climate change and migration. Pakistan’s national security can be improved by maintaining internal stability and foreign relations. The country’s survival and prosperity depend on minimizing threats and maximizing cooperation by securing its borders, as well as through institutional development aimed at ensuring the long-term well-being of the people and investing in their future.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
