BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

TERRORISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR PAKISTAN’S SECURITY

Author: Salma Malik

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2006v27n4a5

ABSTRACT

Terrorism poses unique challenges to the liberal democratic state in the post-Cold War world. The aim of terrorism is clear -influencepublic opinion through symbolic violence, and to date there is no clear understanding of exactly what the "political formula" is that leads to terrorism. With the rising challenges of globalization on the one hand and internal fragmentation on the other, the contemporary nation-state still remains the most viable political entity. This paper attempts to define what terrorism constitutes. The paper explores the reasons behind the rise of terrorism in Pakistan, its consequences, both at the internal and external levels, and steps taken by the Pakistani establishment to redress the rising menace of terrorism in the society. Furthermore, it examines whether the Pakistani establishment’s anti-terrorist posture was in response to the US call for collective combatagainst terrorism per seor driven by domestic concerns. What repercussions the Pakistani establishment has to face as a result of these policies? And, lastly, what more needs to be undertaken?