ABSTRACT
South Asia today is better placed to address human security issues when compared to the last few decades. Despite bilateral tensions between India and Pakistan, war as an option has greatly come down in South Asia, reducing external threats to the state. However, ethnic conflicts within and non-state actors pose a threat to the state; as a blessing in disguise, this changes the nature of threat perceptions to the state– from external to internal. For the region, threats to the state come from domestic sources than external. This means a paradigm shift in the nature of the threats to the state; this change should help the state look inwards and address human security issues as a part of it. In terms of delivery, the state is also better placed today. The economic situation is slowly improving within the region; individual and collective initiatives, if pursued with a long-term understanding, can improve the situation even further.
