Human Security as National Security: Understanding Pakistan in the Twenty-First Century

In the study of comparative government and politics in South Asia, Pakistan is more often branded as a “failed state” not only because of frequent military interventions in civil administration but mainly because of the lack of overall development of it’s citizens in terms of human development index. This chapter attempts to address this generalization by arguing that the overall development of citizens in terms of the human development index is a challenge faced by most post-colonial nation-states including India. The chapter notes that the deep-rooted fundamentalist religiosity in society and preoccupancy with national security in terms of defense and military has made Pakistan put less stress on overall human development as it has never been an electoral issue in Pakistan. The chapter concludes by arguing that viewing the security of human development indices as part of securing the nation-state will go a long way in making Pakistan a normal state in South Asia.