Human security is a national and international security approach that prioritises humans and their complex social and economic relationships. The notion of human security differs from traditional security studies, which focus on state security. Individuals are the subjects of the human security approach, and the final aim is to protect people against conventional (i.e., military) and nontraditional dangers such as poverty and sickness. Moving the security agenda beyond state security means complementing and expanding, not replacing it. The concept that human security deprivation may undermine peace and stability within and between governments is central to this strategy. In contrast, an overemphasis on state security can harm human security. 

Pakistan’s New Defence Command Structure, Explained: What the 2026 Act Changes

The Defence Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026 (Act No. XLVII of 2026) marks a significant revision of the command structure of Pakistan's armed forces in decades. The piece of legislation was formally passed on August 20.  It has retrospective effect from November 13, 2025, meaning the law applies from the date the 27th Constitutional Amendment

Did Pakistan Overestimate Its Influence over the Taliban After the Doha Agreement?

Pakistan expected a lot and probably overestimated its expectation and influence over Taliban after the 2020 Doha Agreement. Pakistan had understandable reasons to expect a better security relationship. It had helped the peace process move forward and maintained longstanding ties with Taliban leaders. The Doha Agreement committed the Taliban to preventing Afghan territory from being

Is Pakistan Prepared for the Economic Costs of a Prolonged US–Iran War?

Pakistan is economically improving, but it remains too dependent on foreign financing, Gulf remittances and vulnerable fuel routes to absorb the economic effects of a prolonged regional war.  Stronger reserves, record remittances and IMF support make a short-term disruption relatively easier to handle, but it has limits. Pakistan has no working national emergency fuel reserve,

Can the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement Deter Conflict Without Increasing Regional Tensions?

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement can deter conflict in the region, only if Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye draw a clear line between defending one another and automatically joining one another’s wars. Its strength lies in making an attacker think twice: pressure on one member could now bring political, intelligence and military support from the

Significance of Multilateral Maritime Military Coalition

The formation of a long-awaited maritime coalition in Middle East is here to protect the freedom of navigation along the trade route of Bab-al-Mandeb to the Mediterranean Sea via Rea Sea and Suez Canal. All eyes are on Saudi led maritime military coalition, an amalgam of 14 nations and EU. It is a maritime defense

Underlying Factors for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye is the result of several converging strategic, economic and security factors rather than a response to a single regional threat. Growing instability in the Middle East, uncertainty surrounding existing security arrangements, Saudi Arabia's search for greater strategic autonomy, and the expanding defence cooperation between