Pakistan’s Defense Sector and Misperceptions Against its Spending
The most important strategic objective for any country is the protection of its territory, citizens and assets against external and internal challenges that can undermine its stability. It is even more crucial for countries like Pakistan, which has a history of border disputes, fighting full scale wars against Indian aggression and unresolved geopolitical concerns like Kashmir with hostile neighbor at Eastern border and threat of influx of terrorism from the Western border, to prioritize national security as the most important strategic goal. For Pakistan, it is a requirement to retain sizable armed forces, develop infrastructure for them, and create new security mechanisms since 1947 in order to fend against external threats. Pakistan has been facing significant threats from within and outside due to its geo-strategic location. One of Pakistan’s greatest threat remains India’s unyielding hostile posture towards the country. The region's prevalent stability-instability paradigm oft...