Obligations Of A State And Pakistan

A sovereign state is not merely a territorial entity with a government; it is a guardian of rights, provider of services, and protector of its people’s dignity. A state’s legitimacy is not rooted in power alone but in its performance in fulfilling fundamental responsibilities. These obligations transcend ideological, religious, or political divisions. They are universal and form the core of any responsible governance structure.

These obligations typically include:

• Ensuring internal security and protecting the lives of citizens

• Administering justice without discrimination

• Upholding constitutional law and protecting fundamental rights

• Providing basic services including education, health, and clean water

• Establishing a welfare system to reduce poverty and support the vulnerable

• Safeguarding national sovereignty and external security

• Promoting economic development and job creation

• Preserving freedom of expression and access to information

• Managing natural and financial resources transparently

Let us now examine where the Pakistani state stands in relation to these critical state functions.

Security and Rule of Law in Pakistan: A Fragile Commitment

Internal security remains one of the most pressing issues in Pakistan. While major cities have seen improvements in law enforcement capabilities, terrorism, sectarian violence, and tribal conflicts continue to undermine national stability. The National Action Plan (NAP) initiated after the APS Peshawar massacre showed intent but failed in holistic implementation.

Rule of law in Pakistan is inconsistent. Selective justice, political victimization, and lack of judicial independence are widely reported. The common citizen’s trust in law enforcement agencies is minimal due to widespread corruption, misuse of power, and political interference.

Constitutional Rights and Democratic Integrity

Pakistan’s constitution guarantees fundamental rights, but in practice, freedom of speech, press, and assembly face significant limitations. Journalists, political dissidents, and activists often find themselves threatened, silenced, or prosecuted. The use of the PECA law to control digital narratives further restricts digital freedom.

Moreover, electoral processes are often viewed with suspicion. Accusations of vote manipulation, pre-poll rigging, and military involvement in civilian politics hinder democratic maturity. A state that fails to ensure transparent democratic practices cannot claim to be fulfilling its core obligations.

Education and Health: Neglected Sectors

A state’s moral authority is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Pakistan allocates less than 3% of its GDP to education and an even smaller percentage to healthcare. Despite having one of the youngest populations globally, the literacy rate remains stagnant around 60%, with millions of children out of school, especially in Balochistan and rural Sindh.

Public hospitals are underfunded, overcrowded, and mismanaged. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of Pakistan’s health infrastructure, where doctors protested for PPEs and patients lacked ventilators. Private healthcare thrives, but it’s inaccessible to the lower-income segments, leaving a significant population without basic medical rights.

Economic Responsibility: Inflation, Employment, and Inequality

A state must guarantee economic stability, create jobs, and shield its people from excessive inflation. Yet, Pakistan’s economic landscape is marred by instability. The rupee has depreciated to historic lows, inflation soars past 25%, and unemployment among youth is rising.

IMF bailouts, rising foreign debt, and poor fiscal management reflect a failure in economic planning and sustainability. While elite segments continue to enjoy tax exemptions and subsidies, the burden falls on the working class. Inequitable resource distribution is creating a widening gulf between the rich and the poor.

Welfare and Social Protection Systems: Hollow Promises

Programs like Ehsaas and Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) offer relief to millions, but they are not sufficient to build a welfare state. Pakistan lacks a universal pension system, unemployment insurance, or structured disability support.

Street children, elderly without family, and the disabled remain largely invisible to policy frameworks. Social protection cannot be charity-based—it must be institutionalized, data-driven, and accessible to all.

Judicial System: Slow, Biased, and Overburdened

The judiciary is a pillar of state obligation, yet court delays, case backlogs, and elite impunity plague Pakistan’s justice system. Many criminal cases remain unresolved for decades, and civil cases often stretch across generations. The lack of legal aid for the poor and compromised accountability courts shows the failure to ensure equal justice for all.

Environment and Resource Management: A Critical Ignorance

With climate change threatening Pakistan more severely than most nations, the state’s response remains reactive rather than proactive. The 2022 floods, which displaced millions, highlighted the weak disaster management infrastructure.

Deforestation, water crisis, and unregulated urbanization continue unchecked. Environmental protection is not just a policy—it is a duty that the Pakistani state has yet to prioritize effectively.

External Sovereignty and Diplomatic Autonomy

While the Pakistani military remains vigilant at borders, diplomatic engagement has faltered. Dependency on foreign aid, shifting foreign policy allegiances, and poor public diplomacy have affected Pakistan’s image internationally. The Kashmir issue, though central to national identity, lacks strategic momentum on the global stage.

Civil-Military Relations: An Unresolved Constitutional Challenge

A democratic state must have civilian supremacy over the military. In Pakistan, military involvement in politics, economy, and media narratives creates institutional imbalance. Civil institutions remain weak, and parliaments are often sidelined, violating the basic principles of constitutional democracy.

The overreach into business sectors, real estate, and policymaking by military-linked organizations contradicts the concept of civilian-led governance. This remains one of the greatest structural failures of the Pakistani state.

Where Does Pakistan Stand? A Failing Scorecard

Despite possessing immense human capital, geographical advantage, and natural resources, Pakistan’s performance on essential state obligations is far below expectations. The lack of visionary leadership, systemic corruption, poor governance, and absence of long-term planning have rendered the state reactive rather than proactive.

The people of Pakistan deserve a state that serves, not one that merely survives. The promise of a democratic, Islamic welfare state remains unfulfilled, as obligations turn into political slogans rather than actionable commitments.

Pakistan – A State in Need of Reform, Not Excuses

The future of Pakistan depends on restructuring state priorities, reviving public trust, and fulfilling the social contract with its people. Without rule of law, equitable economic growth, human rights protection, and civil supremacy, the Pakistani state cannot fulfill the obligations expected of it in the 21st century.