Pakistan’s Misplaced Priorities: A Need For a Shift Towards Human Security

By Shivani Sharma

I would much rather starve the country than allow any weakening of its defense”

  Pakistan PM Muhammad Ali Bogra (1953-55)

Since the time of its inception, the state of Pakistan has adopted the model of a security state. The above statement made by the then Pakistan PM, Bogra, reflects the insecurity and the mindset that Pakistan was born to. Despite the growing socio-economic challenges faced by the country, Pakistan remains reluctant to depart from its traditional militaristic understanding of security. The recent 2020-2021 national budget presented by the state is a clear reflection of this viewpoint. Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent economic slump, the national budget saw a spike in funds allocated for defense by a whopping 11.82% from the last fiscal year, bringing the number to Rupee(Rs.) 1.29 trillion in the present budget. Whereas, the size of the Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) budget remained limited to only Rs. 650 billion.

The increase in the defense budget over the years along with a relative de-prioritization in the development funds reiterates the position long held by the Pakistani state that defense and security of the state is paramount, while regarding other considerations as secondary to that of national dignity and honor. The high defense allocation is mainly justified on concerns of protecting the border from hostile neighbors, India and Afghanistan.

The support for the defense sector and national security agenda in Pakistan is shared by both the military and the civilian leadership of the country. The ruling elites of the country continue to fear a perceived existential threat from India and their greater conventional military capacity. Even in the past, the high defense allocations in the national budget were never questioned and were supported by the Parliament. Despite facing severe developmental challenges at the time of its inception, the Pakistani state declared military security as paramount and allowed 70% of its estimated budget in the first year to the defense sector.[i]  During the time, Pakistan’s first PM, Liaquat Ali Khan, said, “the defense of the state is our foremost consideration. It dominates all other government activities.”[ii]

73 years after its formation, Pakistan has failed to look beyond the state security model towards more significant and comprehensive aspects of human security and development. The country today battles severe economic and development challenges and ranks 152nd out of the total 189 countries in the Human Development Index 2019 (lowest among all comparable countries of South Asia). The sluggish economy, rise in unemployment levels, increase in poverty, and a higher percentage of inequality in the health and the education sector are all indicators of the state’s poor performance in ensuring the dignity of its people and empowering them. The deepest worry stems from the high rates of unemployment among the youth in the country. According to the Pakistan National Human Development Report 2017, Pakistan has the largest population of young people ever in its history (approximately two-thirds of the total population is below the age of 30) and yet the country suffers from high rates of youth unemployment. The challenge seems even more daunting as Pakistan would need to generate nearly a million jobs every year for the next 30 years, without interruption, to maintain the unemployment rate at the current levels.

Despite being on the brink, Pakistan’s share of public investment in its GDP is one of the lowest in the world, at 15 percent, almost half of the South Asian average at 30 percent. The role of the PSDP, which is the main instrument in the government’s direct control to channelize funds and make developmental interventions for speedy and balanced uplift of various segments of the society, has declined. The size of the fund has shrunk due to the rapid growth of expenditure spent on the modernization of the military as well as to control fiscal deficits.

The present COVID-19 pandemic is likely to pose a heavy burden on the state government. In a recent report submitted by the finance ministry to the Senate, the ministry reports an estimated loss of around 3 million jobs in the “initial round” of the novel coronavirus outbreak, an increase in the proportion of people living in poverty from 24.3% to 33.5% and the rise of fiscal deficit from the initial target of 7.5% to 9.4% of the gross domestic product. However, caught in a huge debt trap, and forced to spend 41% of its total national budget on debt servicing, Pakistan's economic catastrophe did not prevent the state from prioritizing its spending on the defense sector.

The misplaced priorities set by the ruling elites over the years has not only turned Pakistan into a fragile state but made the state a hotbed of militancy and extremism. The increased vulnerability of the youth in Pakistan and the lack of human development has not only borne an economic cost to the state but has also made them vulnerable to recruitment in the militant camps-a challenge that the Pakistani state is currently battling with. Therefore, to reverse some of its present trends, Pakistan needs a serious overhaul of its strategic designs and re-defining of its development priorities. It must overcome the 'Indo-centricity' that dominates the country's security discourse and must stress on capitalizing on the large pool of its young human capital. It is only when the ruling elites start to realize that the real security lies in securing and ensuring a life of dignity to its citizens that the state can reverse its tragic course.

[i] Siddiqa, Ayesha.Military Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy.  Penguin, 2017.

[ii] Rizvi, Hasan Askari. Militancy, State and Society in Pakistan. UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.

Dr. Shivani Sharma is a PhD holder from the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her thesis titled, ‘Securitisation of Threats: The State and Internal Security Challenges in Pakistan, 2001-2016’ is focussed on understanding the internal security challenges of violent extremism and terrorism in the state of Pakistan. She is a research fellow at South Asia Democratic Forum, a think-tank based out of Belgium. She has previously taught at the Hindu College and Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi. Shivani possesses both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Political Science from Hindu College and was awarded an Academic Excellence Award for securing University position in her Masters Program. She also has an M.Phil in South Asian Studies from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her main areas of research includes Security politics, Terrorism studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“Pakistan military helicopter” is by Al Jazeera English and is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.