National Security Policy 2022-2026 and Baluchistan: A critique

Abstract

The province of Baluchistan has always remained a source of concern for Pakistan. From the beginning, Baloch nationalists have challenged the writ of the state based on the suppression of their rights. This challenge has posed serious threats to the security apparatus and, also to the nationalistic narrative. The focus of the current government in the newly introduced National Security Policy 2022-2026 is on the safety and security of its citizens. This citizen-centric approach rests on two aspects—national cohesion and the prosperity of its citizens. This document provides strategic guidance for policy actions. The question still haunts how such reconciliatory policies can be applied. There is a need to apply reconciliatory mechanisms to solve this issue. The question this paper, hence, seeks to answer is—what kinds of reconciliatory mechanisms can be applied to make the nationalist forces part of mainstream politics? A qualitative approach would be applied in this study where data would be collected from primary sources—National Security Policy documents and secondary sources—published articles.