Internal Challenges

• Non-state actors — TTP, BLA, ISKP control/contest territory or authority in parts of KP, Balochistan
• Weak writ of state — historically limited state presence in tribal districts (merged into KP in 2018 via 25th Amendment)
• Economic sovereignty — heavy IMF/debt dependency constrains independent policy-making ("conditionalities" limit fiscal choices)

External Challenges

• Drone strikes (historical) — US drone strikes in FATA (2004-2018 era) widely seen as sovereignty violations
• Abbottabad raid (2011) — unilateral US operation without Pakistani knowledge — major sovereignty breach precedent
• Cross-border strikes — Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan against TTP hideouts (and vice versa allegations) — recurring since 2021
• India's cross-LoC/surgical strike claims (Uri 2016, Balakot 2019) — contested sovereignty violations along contested border

Structural/Economic Sovereignty Concerns

• Debt-dependency on IMF & bilateral lenders (China, Gulf states) — raises "debt trap"/policy autonomy debates
• CPEC-related debt sustainability concerns occasionally cited as sovereignty risk (disputed by Pakistan/China)

State Responses

• Military operations to reassert writ of state (Zarb-e-Azb, Radd-ul-Fasaad, Azm-e-Istehkam)
• Diplomatic protests over drone strikes/cross-border actions
• Push for greater self-reliance in economic policy (though largely aspirational so far)

Exam angle

Categorize clearly: security sovereignty (non-state actors, foreign strikes) vs economic sovereignty (debt/IMF) — examiners reward this dual framing.