On Friday, 18^th July, 2025, the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore, hosted a panel discussion titled “National Security – Internal and External Dynamics.” The session, organised for the 38^th Senior Management Course, featured Lt. Gen. (R) Sadiq Ali and Mr. Shaukat Javed as panellists.

Lt. Gen. (R) Sadiq Ali began by situating Pakistan within a rapidly shifting global order. He observed that the world is moving from a unipolar system dominated by the United States toward an increasingly multipolar configuration, in which American supremacy is contested by China and other emerging powers. He added that China’s rise rests largely on non-kinetic “geo-economics,” with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) serving as a central pillar of the Chinese security doctrine. He pointed out that China’s newly created alternative financial institutions have given rise to new “cold war” dynamics.

Lt. Gen. (R) Sadiq Ali said that Pakistan faces the diplomatic challenge of balancing its strategic partnership with China and its complex relationship with the United States, even as Indo-Pak rivalry and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy (including the QUAD framework) sharpen regional tensions. Turning to domestic vulnerabilities, he noted that Pakistan’s multi-ethnic and sectarian fabric can be exploited by external actors, particularly given the country’s historically fragile economy and pattern of civil-military governance.

Lt. Gen. (R) Sadiq Ali highlighted the evolution of conflict toward hybrid warfare, where state and non-state actors employ a blend of conventional, irregular, and information operations, enabled by advanced technology, to achieve political objectives. In this environment, he argued, Pakistan effectively becomes a “front-line state” once again. To meet these emerging challenges, he prescribed a whole-of-government approach that integrates political stability, economic resilience, and social cohesion.

In examining internal security dynamics of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Javed argued that religion based and separatist violence exist in Pakistan. He pinpointed various ideological issues that still cause terrorism and extremism in Pakistan. Such issues, he said, are the Ahmadi question, Shia-Sunni tension, intra-Sunni disagreements and conflicts with other religions.

According to Mr. Shaukat Javed, terrorism in Pakistan has increased drastically since 9/11. He explained that although the response of Pakistan to counter-terrorism has been resting to a large extent on kinetic actions guided by policy papers like the National Action Plan and National Security Policy but they are generally uncoordinated and full of rhetoric and symbolism. He advocated that the police should take the front stage in counter-terrorism efforts with the assistance of other allied agencies. He suggested that real progress will have to be made with a comprehensive approach, better institutions and an integrated execution of the National Security Policy.

The two panellists contended that a holistic and inclusive approach is the only way to protect national interests of Pakistan against external and internal challenges. They also proposed the investment in human security in addition to the conventional defence capabilities.

The intensive panel discussion was followed by an interactive question and answer session where the participants also questioned the panellists on various issues like hybrid-warfare, inter-agency coordination and the practical implementation of the National Security Policy.

The panel discussion gave the participants of the 38^th SMC a deeper understanding of the security environment in Pakistan and a strategic way forward in terms of addressing the intertwining of internal and external threats.