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Pakistan's Enduring Challenges: Isbn: Edited By: C.C Fair and Sarah J. Watson Review By: Seemab Zafar

This edited volume examines the enduring challenges facing Pakistan, including political instability, economic uncertainty, and threats from non-state actors. It analyzes Pakistan's security challenges from internal militant groups and its relations with other countries after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. While providing a comprehensive overview, some of the arguments are debatable as they contradict Pakistan's perspective, such as claims that Pakistan supports militancy or meddles in Afghanistan. The book serves as a guide for policymakers but could also enable further academic research on these issues.

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52 views3 pages

Pakistan's Enduring Challenges: Isbn: Edited By: C.C Fair and Sarah J. Watson Review By: Seemab Zafar

This edited volume examines the enduring challenges facing Pakistan, including political instability, economic uncertainty, and threats from non-state actors. It analyzes Pakistan's security challenges from internal militant groups and its relations with other countries after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. While providing a comprehensive overview, some of the arguments are debatable as they contradict Pakistan's perspective, such as claims that Pakistan supports militancy or meddles in Afghanistan. The book serves as a guide for policymakers but could also enable further academic research on these issues.

Uploaded by

Šąłm Ąń
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Pakistan’s Enduring Challenges

ISBN: 9780812246902

Edited By: C.C Fair and Sarah J. Watson

Review By: Seemab Zafar

It is a harsh reality to accept that Pakistan is facing different external and internal
challenges since its inception. These challenges have tangled the state in its own
contradiction, ranges from political instability to economic uncertainty. It inculcates
exacerbated sense of insecurity and sense of deprivation among people. Non-state
actors have cashed these circumstances efficiently as well as effectively and tried to
portray Pakistan as a safe haven for terrorism. This factor has changed the overall
outlook of the state and made it to indulge in this proxy war, whereas, positive social
developments remain aside. It has also given birth to several challenges, both at the
domestic and international level.

This edited volume is an effort to project these challenges faced by Pakistan in


terms of security and prosperity, especially after the withdrawal of US forces from
Afghanistan as well as its relations with foreign states, such as, the US, China and
Saudi Arabia. Every challenge has been compartmentalized in three sections,
whereas, root-cause of each issue can be traced back to a common-threat, posed by
non-state actors. It invites the state to nurture its policy options to cut-out domestic
instability and security threats along with the opportunities to develop more
trustworthy relations with other nations. While, exploring all avenues, one of the
chapters chases economic tail in order to fast-track the correction process regarding
mismanagement and profligacy.

The moot-point of this book revolves around the creeping expansion of


Jihadist influences and different shapes that militant juggernaut may take after US
withdrawal from Afghanistan, both in terms of sectarian and identity basis. It
proposes to adopt a forward-leaning posture not only for Pakistan, but for the
stability of whole region. Secondly, it sheds light on different ideologies and how
these ideologies are being interpreted in different ways by using the Quranic verses
to achieve target-goals by militants. This argument raised the question that if there
are such religious ideologies, exercised by non-sate actors, then why there is no


Seemab Zafar is a Research Intern at Research and Publication Branch, Institute of Strategic Studies,
Research and Analysis, National Defence University, Islamabad.
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Pakistan’s Enduring Challenges

religious party has been able to form the government up till now. Therefore, this
percept of radicalization needs to be reviewed.

While suggesting the countermeasures for elimination of such elements, this


book, in one way or the other, justifies US drone program in Pakistan. It entails the
argument that this program is being supported by implicit consent of concerned
authorities despite the fact that the Pakistan’s government has been raising its voice
against such attacks. It further elaborates the legal aspects of drone attacks, which is,
in fact, contrary to true international law perspective. Besides highlighting drone
causalities, this part of book also touches upon the sensitive topic related to
Pakistan’s nuclear security arrangements by arguing that the strategic choices may
come to surface due to the problems emanating from neighbouring states and
violent extremism. This logical reasoning requires the state to put forwards the
counter argument.

Referring to the second part of this volume, it has augmented that how civil-
military relations have been evolved over the period of time. The changing political
scenario in the country involves judicial activism, media and provincial autonomy
and how foreign policy is being formulated within the security ambit. It covers the
technological aspects along with its positive and negative effects depending upon its
use. As proposed, social media can be served as a medium to bring forth public
awareness and voices to formulate policies that display best narrative, however, it is
being used to amplify the radicalization factor. Identification of the flaws in
administration due to ineffective policies and corruption, which has most probably
led the country to be more dependent on foreign sector to boost its economy, is
important to tackle with.

The last part of the book argues that Pakistan’s relation with the US, especially
after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. This withdrawal would create
problems for Pakistan in handling terrorism, however, Pakistan would avail this
opportunity to dominate the region. It projects that the withdrawal of US forces will
do much better to reduce anti-American sentiments and help to improve Pak-US
relations. This part unravels the relations of Saudi Arabia and China with Pakistan
through shedding light on interests and how these relations have reached to a degree
of mutual understanding in a time of need. It provides the historical analysis to look
into Pak-Afghanistan relations and how non-state actors have affected these
relations over the time.

It can be deduced that most of the contributors emphasized on US withdrawal


from Afghanistan that will give birth to security and economic challenges for
Pakistan, which ultimately lead to regional instability. This has been illustrated
descriptively, while keeping the readers engaged. However, some arguments of this

252
NDU Journal 2017

volume are debatable as they are contrary to Pakistan’s own perspective, because
Pakistan is not a part of any race to be a regional hegemon rather it is a peace-loving
state. Pakistan has never shown soft corner for any such element that are destructive
and violent in nature. The National Action Plan can be served as an example to
support Pakistan’s stance on it. The argument that Pakistan is supporting militancy
for waging proxy war against its rivals is, in fact, a myopic statement. Pakistan
always speaks for the stability of Afghanistan both at the national and international
level. There is no such evidence exists to support this self-created perception that
Pakistan is likely to continue meddling in Afghanistan and targeting India.

Referring to the safety of Pakistani nuclear arsenals, these strategic assets are
under strict command and control regime, which cannot be compromised in dealing
against internal and external threats, even if left in isolation. It is not an easy task to
deal with each and every challenge that is being faced by any state. However, this
volume tried to give an overview of different challenges comprehensively under one
umbrella. Despite the fact that there is a need to make Pakistan’s position clearer so
that to keep the reader’s option open for themselves, when analysing multiple
perspectives rather than the resilience on one side only.

This volume serves as a guideline for the government representatives to deal


with security issues. It is an area of concern for the policy makers to ponder upon
such detail. However, this study can also be a route forward for academic research in
the concerned field.

Reference

Fair, C. Christine, and Sarah J. Watson, eds. Pakistan's Enduring Challenges. Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015.

253

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