ABSTRACT
Western policy makers are deeply concerned with critical security threats and fragility presented by the world's sixth most populous and nuclear-armed state and there are signs that the situation is set to deteriorate. The direct costs of organized violence are already extensive. The Pakistani government claims that 30,000 of its citizens (including 3,000 soldiers) have been killed in the past decade's violence. Much of this violence consisted of counterterrorism operations and militant attacks against the military and civilians. Policy makers are also concerned about the ways in which extreme poverty and inequality can exacerbate instability. Indeed, persistent insecurity has obstructed meaningful human development and almost half of Pakistanis can neither read nor write. 1 Basic healthcare, clean drinking water and electricity remain distant dreams for many in the country's tens of thousands of villages. 2
