ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that, while the external threat conditions must be attended to, an exclusive focus on the territorial dimension of security would obscure more complex threats emanating from internal contestations of power, identity, and legitimacy. The state-centric geopolitical conceptions of threat have dominated the discourse on Pakistan's security. In the dynamic situation of the post-Cold War era, when the notions of security are undergoing radical redefinition, the variations can no longer be ignored in understanding the security predicament of postcolonial states. A wide array of autonomous institutions, public vigilance, and values of dissent and discussion restrain the arbitrariness of those responsible for national security. The chapter explores the relationship between the security problem of Pakistan and the political ascendancy of the bureaucratic military elites. It shows how the military rule worsened the "insecurity dilemma" of the country. The chapter examines how the denial of participatory democracy and the construction of a centralized state confounded the security problems of Pakistan.
