CSS Notes > Pakistan is facing Hybrid Warfare. How it needs to tackle it?
Introduction
Pakistan’s historic conflict with India, its bad decisions of joining US-led wars and the decades’ long military rule over it become the chief reasons of its internal security problems. Pakistan is now facing the challenge of non-traditional and hybrid warfare. It needs long term and comprehensive civil as well as military strategy to tackle this challenge.
Defining Hybrid Warfare
It is a modern technique of warfare that does not depend on traditional ways of invading. It is a blend of political, economic and cyber warfare. It uses the internal rifts of a nation to destroy its unity thus leading to a weaker state.
Hybrid Warfare in Pakistan & Ways to Tackle
Traditionally, external threats, particularly inter-state wars over territorial control, resources, and political hegemony, have been the main threats to the security of a state like Pakistan. But, now the country is facing hybrid war in shapes of political warfare, diplomacy warfare and unconventional threats.
Following can be seen as the instruments of hybrid warfare in Pakistan:
- Separatist movements in Baluchistan
- Insurgency in the Tribal Belt
- Use of Fake News and Cyber Attacks
- Target Killings in Different Major Cities
Such instruments of hybrid warfare in Pakistan use different techniques like:
- The separatists exploit the local people against different grievances they hold against the state and government. The exploitation is actually backed by foreign hand thus causing massive disturbance in a region or the whole country.
- The insurgents in the Tribal Belt of Pakistan use the techniques like suicidal bombing, conventional shootings and bombings across various public areas of the country to create deterrence and violate the peace of the country.
- The social media propagators use the techniques like spreading fake news, inciting communistic feelings and instigating people against each other. This disturbs public tranquility. Such propagators work to advance the foreign agenda of disturbing the internal peace of country and destroying its political existence without firing a single shot.
- Pakistan’s largest city Karachi has faced a decade of unrest in terms of target killings and attacks on common people. This was actually the clearest shape of hybrid warfare imposed by enemy on Pakistan. Such killers destroyed the peace of whole city thus resulting in economic loss and political instability.
Hybrid warfare is quite complex phenomenon. It cannot be understood even when happening against a state. It is sort of hidden warfare that affects the long term existence of the state without letting people realize what’s happening.
To tackle the challenge of Hybrid Warfare, Pakistan needs to:
- Deal effectively with separatists with the help of civil government instead of military ways
- End sectarianism that ultimately becomes cause of internal rift
- End provincialism by providing equal opportunity of development to all the provinces
Conclusion
Hybrid warfare is a reality. It is a multi-dimensional tactic. It needs to be tackled with comprehensive approach rather than depending on short term military techniques. It needs to be tackled by putting any end to state’s use of force against its own people.