PAKISTAN’S national security debate has long been dominated by the armed forces, border management and counterterrorism operations. Yet recent attacks across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have exposed another uncomfortable reality. The country’s internal security increasingly depends not only on the military’s strength but also on the capacity of its provin-cial governments and police forces. A state cannot remain secure if its first responders lack resources, authority and institutional support to confront modern security threats.
Pakistan’s Constitution places law and order squarely within the jurisdiction of the provinces. Following the Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment in 2010, policing, local governance, health, education and numerous administrative functions became provincial responsibilities. To support these responsibilities, the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award allocates approximately 57.5 percent of the divisible federal tax pool to the provinces, leaving 42.5 percent with the federation. The rationale was simple. Provinces were expected to strengthen governance, improve public services and build capable institutions closer to the people. The results, however, have been uneven.
Pakistan’s police services comprise several hundred thousand personnel serving a population of around 250 million. While their numerical strength is substantial, the real challenge lies not in numbers but in capability. Many police stations remain under-equipped, forensic facilities are limited, intelligence sharing is fragmented and officers often lack modern surveillance technology, protective equipment, digital investigation tools and specialized counterterrorism training. In insurgency-affected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, police personnel frequently confront heavily armed militants with inadequate mobility, outdated communication systems and insufficient logistical support. The issue is, therefore, less about the size of the police force and more about its preparedness, technology, training and institu-tional capacity.
This imbalance creates an unhealthy dependence on the military for internal security. Pakistan Army has repeatedly demonstrated exceptional professionalism in defending the country’s borders and conducting counterterrorism operations. Yet no modern democracy expects its military to permanently shoulder routine internal law enforcement. Defence forces should remain focused on external defence, strategic deterrence and high-intensity national security operations, while provincial police should become the country’s primary guardians of internal peace. International experience reinforces this model.
The United Kingdom relies on regional police services to handle domestic security, while the British Army is deployed internally only under exceptional circumstances. In Germany, po-licing is almost entirely the responsibility of the Länder, with strong state police forces sup-ported by advanced forensic capabilities and integrated intelligence systems. Canada similarly entrusts provinces with policing through provincial police services and local law enforcement, while the Canadian Armed Forces remain focused primarily on external defence and national emergencies. Even India, despite facing multiple insurgencies, has steadily strengthened specialized state police forces, intelligence units and anti-terror squads alongside central security agencies. The common lesson is clear. Strong nations are built upon strong provincial institutions. Security, however, cannot be separated from governance. Terrorist organizations thrive where governance is weak, development is slow, public services are absent and citizens lose confidence in the state’s ability to deliver justice and opportunity. Roads, schools, hospitals, municipal services and responsive local administrations are not merely development indica-tors. They are instruments of national security.
Pakistan’s local government system remains one of the weakest links in governance. Elections are frequently delayed, local bodies operate with limited authority and financial autonomy remains constrained. Decisions affecting millions are often centralized at provincial capitals, leaving district administrations with inadequate resources to respond effectively to local challenges. Countries with resilient governance systems recognize that empowered munici-palities and district governments improve service delivery, strengthen public trust and enable faster responses to emerging security concerns. Provinces, therefore, carry responsibilities that extend well beyond policing. They must invest strategically in professional civil services, digital governance, disaster management, in-telligence coordination, municipal administration and local development. Every rupee trans-ferred through the NFC Award should ultimately strengthen the state’s presence where citi-zens experience government most directly.
Police reform deserves equal urgency. Modern policing is no longer confined to patrol ve-hicles and checkpoints. It requires integrated surveillance networks, cybercrime units, artificial intelligence-assisted investigations, drone surveillance where appropriate, forensic science, community policing, rapid emergency response systems and continuous professional training. Officers serving in high-risk districts should receive equipment and protection commensurate with the threats they face. Their welfare, housing, healthcare, insurance and career progression must also improve if Pakistan expects them to confront increasingly sophisticated militant networks.
Equally important is coordination. Counterterrorism cannot succeed if intelligence remains compartmentalized between federal and provincial agencies. Secure digital platforms, real-time information sharing, joint operational planning and unified command mechanisms during crises are now standard practice across many successful security systems.
Pakistan’s security challenge is, therefore, not simply a military question. It is fundamentally a governance challenge. The federation must continue to provide strategic direction, defend the nation’s borders and coordinate national security policy. The provinces must build capable police forces, deliver effective governance, strengthen local governments and ensure that citizens experience the state through efficient public institutions rather than only during crises.
Nations are not secured by armies alone, but by competent governments, trusted police, em-powered local institutions and citizens who believe the state is present in their daily lives. Pa-kistan has already devolved the constitutional authority and financial resources. The next step is to ensure that this devolution delivers what it was intended to achieve a safer, better go-verned and more resilient federation where police stand as the first line of defence and the military remains the nation’s shield against external threats.
—The writer is PhD in Political Science, and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad.
