Pakistan stands at a perilous crossroads. Political paralysis, economic collapse, regional insurgencies, and eroding state control are pushing the nuclear-armed nation toward a dangerous brink. From the Baloch and Pashtun insurgencies to growing separatist sentiment in Sindh, internal fissures are widening even as tensions simmer with India and Afghanistan. The military’s dominance and deepening divisions among civilian forces have left governance adrift. As global powers watch uneasily, Pakistan’s instability raises an alarming question — could a nuclear-armed state sliding toward failure?
By Newswriters News Desk
Pakistan today finds itself caught in a multi-dimensional crisis that threatens the very fabric of its statehood. Political instability, economic collapse, resurgent militancy, and deepening regional fissures have converged to create an existential challenge for a nation once seen as a key player in South Asia’s balance of power — and now raising grave concerns about the security and rhetoric surrounding its nuclear arsenal. Reuters+1
At the heart of Pakistan’s turmoil lies a persistent power struggle between civilian governments and the military establishment. The ouster and imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, once the military’s protégé, has left the political landscape fractured. The ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) struggles to assert legitimacy amid accusations of manipulation, while Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to command significant street support. The result is political paralysis, with state institutions divided and public confidence eroding. Reuters
Parallel to political instability, Pakistan faces renewed insurgencies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Balochistan, decades of neglect, resource disputes and heavy-handed security measures have fuelled separatist resentment and intermittent attacks on CPEC-linked projects. In the northwest, the resurgence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has exposed persistent gaps in counter-insurgency and intelligence control. These internal conflicts sap state capacity and create safe havens for violent actors. Moneycontrol+1
External security pressures compound the domestic malaise. Tensions with India remain high after recent skirmishes and cross-border terrorism, while the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has shifted dynamics on the western border — including concerns about cross-border militancy and contested Pashtun loyalties. Economic distress — soaring inflation, shrinking foreign reserves and harsh austerity conditions tied to IMF support — deepens social discontent and increases susceptibility to radicalisation. Reuters+1
A particularly alarming dimension is the nuclear-tinged rhetoric coming from the top of Pakistan’s military. During visits abroad this year, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was widely reported to have warned that “we are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us,” a line that provoked international unease and Indian condemnation even as Pakistani officials sought to downplay or contextualise the comments. Such statements fuel fears that state fragility and nuclear doctrine could become dangerously intertwined. Hindustan Times+1
Diplomatically, Pakistan is navigating an uneasy field. Reports of U.S. President Donald Trump’s public praise for Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have stirred debate over external preferences for military interlocutors and the risk that renewed engagement could further legitimise military dominance in Pakistani politics. www.ndtv.com+1
Unless Islamabad pursues genuine federal reform, re-engages marginalized provinces, and puts civilian oversight and economic stabilisation at the centre of recovery, Pakistan risks sliding into prolonged instability. The question before regional and global actors is stark: can a nuclear-armed state grappling with internal collapse be stabilised before rhetoric and reality dangerously converge?
Photo: Rupinder Singh, Unsplash
