What Counts as Non-Traditional Security (NTS)

• Threats beyond conventional inter-state war: terrorism, extremism, cyber threats, climate/water insecurity, organized crime, pandemics, food insecurity

Non-State Actors in Pakistan's Context

• TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) — main internal terror threat, sanctuaries in Afghanistan post-2021 Taliban takeover
• Baloch separatist groups (BLA, BLF) — targeting CPEC projects, security forces in Balochistan
• Sectarian militant groups — periodic sectarian violence (Shia-Sunni)
• ISKP (Islamic State-Khorasan Province) — smaller but lethal presence, targets minorities & state
• Cross-border militancy complicates Pakistan-Afghanistan relations

Other Non-Traditional Threats

• Cybersecurity — growing vulnerability of financial/state systems
• Climate-induced security risks — 2022 floods displaced ~33 million, strained state capacity
• Water security — Indus dependency, glacial melt, inter-provincial disputes (see Topic XVII)
• Human trafficking & organized crime networks

State Response

• National Action Plan (NAP, 2014) — post-APS Peshawar attack, 20-point counter-terrorism framework
• Operations: Zarb-e-Azb (2014), Radd-ul-Fasaad (2017), Azm-e-Istehkam (2024) — targeting TTP/militant networks
• National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) — coordination body

Challenges

• Afghan Taliban's reluctance/inability to act against TTP strains bilateral ties
• Resurgence of attacks since 2021 despite years of counter-terror gains