CSS 2009 Solved Essay | Pakistan’s War on Terror and its Impact on Our Psyche and Politico-Socio-Economic Fronts
Dr. Arzoo Fatima, a Sir Syed Kazim Ali student, has attempted the CSS 2009 Solved Essay “Pakistan’s War on Terror and its Impact on Our Psyche and Politico-Socio-Economic Fronts“ on the given pattern, which Sir Syed Kazim Ali teaches his students. Sir Syed Kazim Ali has been Pakistan’s top English writing and CSS, PMS essay and precis coach with the highest success rate of his students. The essay is uploaded to help other competitive aspirants learn and practice essay writing techniques and patterns to qualify for the essay paper.
Outline
1-Introduction
The war on terror has profoundly impacted Pakistan, destabilizing its socio-political structures, crippling its economy, and leaving lasting psychological scars on its people. To overcome these challenges, Pakistan must adopt a holistic approach that combines counterterrorism measures with socio-economic reforms and international cooperation for sustainable stability.
2-An overview of the war on terror
- ✓How war has started
- ✓An overview of significant terrorist attacks
- ✓An analysis of the global response to the war on terror
3-Factors that lead to the war on terror
- ✓At regional level
- ✓At national level
- ✓At global level
4-What are the impacts of the war on terror on Pakistani’s psyche and the country’s politico-socio and economic fronts?
4.1-Impacts on Psyche
- ✓Argument: Increasing the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), leading to the dichotomous of chaos and anxiety
- Evidence: According to the reports of the Institute of Psychiatry at Rawalpindi Medical University, people living in the affected regions like KPK and FATA exhibit high rates of PTSD, stemming from a state of fear and frequent bombings
- ✓Argument: Augmenting the depression by terrorism, heading the masses toward anomie, suicide, and chronic stress
- Evidence: According to the study conducted by the Institute of Peace and Economics, an estimated 80,000 Pakistanis have been killed between 2004 and 2015, ultimately individuals living in the affected region having a higher prevalence of depression, largely due to insecurity, loss, and financial strain.
4.2-Impacts via the Political Realm
- ✓Argument: The rise of civil-military fallout in politics and the battle against fear-mongers, undermining political security led to radicalization
- Evidence: According to the reports of the Pew Research Institute indicate that military-led operations, such as Zarb-e-Asb and Radd-ul-Fasaad have contributing to a heightened polarization in mainstream politics, resulting in a civil-military imbalance and a growing radicalization within Pakistani society.
- ✓Argument: Wanton the democratic process in Kashmir, posing a roadblock in the political process despite mutual agreement, impacting foreign policy
- Evidence: According to the book, “The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Kashmir” by Stephen P. Cohen, Pakistan’s foreign policy is shaped by the US and involvement in the war on terror, leading to persistent security threats and political volatility interrupted in the democratic process.
4.3-Impacts via Social facades
- ✓Argument: Emerging of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in a large number, a devastating social upheaval in its history
- Evidence: According to Hafiz Pasha, the economist, pointing out Amnesty International estimated that the number of IDPs was higher, approximately 2.7 million to 3.5 million people displacing from KPK and FATA due to military operations, considered the largest displacement in the history
- ✓Argument: Erosion of social trust and community bonds, annihilating the development and education in the conflicted zones, capitalizing tensions
- Evidence: According to the research by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, individuals in conflict zones often develop distrust as educational institutes in KPK and FATA are frequently targeted, interrupting learning, leading to long-term issues like fear of social environments, and emotional insecurity
4.4-Impacts via Economic fronts
- ✓Argument: Virtual collapse of the economy due to the deterred Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and increased defense expenditure, leading to the borrowed growth
- Evidence: According to the reports of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, FDI declined sharply in Pakistan from $5.4 billion in 2007-08 to less than $1 billion in subsequent years, significantly from 2001 onward, the defence budget saw a rise to counter internal and external threats from terrorism, leading to borrowed growth
- ✓Argument: Hampered growth of the tourism industry, which is the hub of financial growth, ultimately empowering economic status
- Evidence: According to the Pakistan Association for Tourism, before the 9/11 incident, 1 million tourists used to visit Pakistan annually, but after the occurrence of terrorism, it dropped, termed as a “no-go” territory for foreign businessmen or donors
5-What are the measures being implemented for countering the menace of war-related abuse?
- ✓Empowering counterterrorism legislation and penalties
- ✓Provision of accountability and human rights violations
- ✓Global collaboration and support in the exchange of information
6-Critical Analysis
7-Conclusion
The War on Terror, launched as a global response to the catastrophic 9/11 attacks, stands as one of the most defining and devastating campaigns in modern history. For Pakistan, the ramifications of this conflict have been profound, permeating the nation’s psychological, socio-political, and economic fabric. While the international community regards Pakistan as a frontline state in combating terrorism, it simultaneously accuses the country of fostering extremist elements, leading to a complex and often contradictory global perception. Over two decades, Pakistan has endured immense losses, both human and financial, estimated at over $120 billion, as it struggles to balance security concerns with internal stability. The impacts have been multifaceted. Psychologically, the war has left communities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and the tribal areas, grappling with widespread trauma, displacement, and post-traumatic stress. Economically, terrorism has crippled critical sectors such as tourism and foreign investment while escalating defence expenditures. Politically, initiatives like the National Action Plan (NAP) have intensified military involvement in governance, creating imbalances within Pakistan’s democratic framework. Socially, the pervasive fear and disruption caused by terrorism have eroded trust and community bonds. However, Pakistan is not without hope. In fact, the nation can pave the way toward social unity and national progress by addressing sectarianism, rehabilitating conflict-affected areas, and implementing robust educational and counter-extremism reforms. This essay critically examines the origins of the War on Terror, its extensive impact on Pakistan’s psyche and politico-socio-economic dimensions, and explores the strategies needed to overcome these challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Before jumping to the maxim of what the impacts of the war on terror in Pakistan are, it is essential to understand the overview of it. The war on terror began after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, orchestrated by al-Qaeda. This event triggered a global campaign to combat terrorism, with the US leading military operations in Afghanistan and, later, Iraq. The report indicates that 2,977 individuals lost their lives in the hijacked aircraft, underscoring the global impact of extremist violence. However, the global response encompassed military coalitions, intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism legislation, and drone warfare. NATO invoked Article 5, which means an armed attack on one member state is considered to be the attack of all membered states for dismantling key terrorist networks and inadvertently strangulating the emergence of more radicalized factions. Nonetheless, the war on terror has faced criticism globally for its long-term impacts, including regional instability and challenges to civil liberties.
After discussing the epitome of historical background, it is important to shed light on the factors of the war on terror. To start with, at the national level, political instability, weak governance, and the rise of extremist ideologies created fertile ground for terrorism. Additionally, the tribal areas of Pakistan became havens for militants due to insufficient state control, allowing extremist factions to consolidate power. Moreover, at the global level, foreign interventions, drone strikes, and selective enforcement of human rights norms exacerbated global instability and militancy. For instance, the US and Saudi Arabia supported mujahedeen fighters, many of whom later morphed into extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Thus, the war on terror in Pakistan is the result of a combination of domestic challenges and international dynamics. In the words of James Smith,
“There is not a war on Terror; there is a war on Terror.”
Moving towards the impacts of the war on terror, influencing the psyche of Pakistan’s masses, the first and foremost one is war has increased the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is dichotomous of the chaos and anxiety among the multitude. Sadly, almost a hundred per cent increase in the incidence of mental illnesses, particularly post-stress-related disorders and depression, has been witnessed. According to the reports of the Institute of Psychiatry at Rawalpindi Medical University, individuals residing in conflict-affected areas such as KPK and FATA demonstrate elevated levels of PTSD, which arise from a pervasive atmosphere of fear and recurrent bombings. This underscores that anti-terrorism attacks have created post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Hence, war has not only created depression but also created PTSD due to the fear-mongered situation in the whole region.
“Living under the threat of a potential terrorist attack is powerful enough to interfere with the neural functioning of the population as a whole.”
Larry j. Smith
In addition, depression leads the masses toward anomie, which has exacerbated suicide, and chronic stress. For instance, the war has imparted grave impacts on people’s mental health, hampering national productivity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and personal development. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Peace and Economics, an estimated 80,000 Pakistanis were killed between 2004 and 2015. Ultimately, individuals living in the affected region had a higher prevalence of depression largely due to insecurity, loss, and financial strain. This highlighted that the war on terror would be an ideal situation because of its detrimental consequences on the health of Pakistanis due to the significant association between terrorism and psychiatric morbidity, even among participants who had no direct exposure to terrorism-related violence. Thus, the impacts of the war on terror have led the masses towards the verge of chaos, exacerbating suicide and chronic stress.
Moving ahead towards the political impacts of the war on terror, the rise of civil-military fallout and the battle against fear-mongers in 2001 has undermined political security. Pakistan has been vitally concerned with the preservation of territorial integrity; ultimately, groups like the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have garnered political support by capitalizing on religious sentiments, which has promoted radicalization. And the Pew Research Institute’s reports indicate that military-led operations such as Zarb-e-Azam and Radd-ul-Fasaad have contributed to a heightened polarization in mainstream politics, resulting in a civil-military imbalance and a growing radicalization within Pakistani society. This elaborates that on the internal front, the most serious fallout was the ever-increasing political instability manifested in civil-military imbalance, leading to radicalization and deleterious effects on Pakistan’s internal security.
Furthermore, wanton the democratic process in Kashmir poses a roadblock in the political process despite mutual agreement, impacting Pakistan’s foreign policy. For instance, India has always remained hostile towards Pakistan, resulting in the suspension of “Composite Dialogue” and curbing Pakistan’s sponsored “cross border terrorism.” Pakistani political community also disowned the progress, mainly vis-a-vis the resolution of the Kashmir dispute by persistent threats and political volatility, significantly impacting foreign policy. According to the book, “The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Kashmir” by Stephen P. Cohen, “Pakistan’s foreign policy shaped by the US and its involvement in the war on terror, leading to persistent security threats and political volatility interrupted in the democratic process.” This addressed the strategic shifts in the post-9/11 era that have brought onto extra-regional power; the US and India swayed for their own goals, thereby constraining Pakistan’s ability to act. Hence, the war on terror has affected Pakistan’s democratic process, which is unacceptable to the country for the Kashmir peace in a stalemate.
Moving down the ladder, the social impacts of the war on terror include the emergence of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Pakistan in large numbers, which has created the social upheaval in history. In addition, the collapse of Pakistan’s society has caused a collapse, so providing financial assistance for a large number of returnees become almost impossible. According to Hafiz Pasha, the economist, Amnesty International estimated that the number of IDPs was higher, approximately 2.7 million to 3.5 million people displacing from KPK and FATA due to military operations, considered the largest displacement in history. Subsequently, Islamabad has not even enforced property rights, hampering the conditions of the people due to inefficient resource allocation. In short, Pakistan has suffered a lot in response to becoming an ally in the war on terror due to the immense number of IDPs.
Further, the erosion of social trust and community bonds has annihilated the development and educational institute of Pakistan’s masses, capitalizing tensions. According to the Research by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, individuals in conflict zones often develop distrust as educational institutes in KPK and FATA are frequently targeted, interrupting learning and leading to long-term developmental issues like fear of social environments and emotional insecurity. This has highlighted that the menace of terrorism has added problems of lawlessness, corruption, unemployment, inflation, etc. And pockets of extremists have tarnished the whole image of Pakistan, termed as a highly ‘dangerous State’ which is rife with religious extremism. Consequently, it is viewed as a ‘hotbed’ of Islamic terrorism, posing grave impacts on these developmental and other institutions due to the war on terror.
Stepping ahead towards the economic impacts of the war on terror in Pakistan, the war on terror has collapsed Pakistan’s economy due to the deterred Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and increased defense expenditure, leading to borrowed growth. After Pakistan participated in the war against terror, the flow of foreign aid picked up, but this aid was not for development projects. It was just for defence purposes. Despite limited resources and a weak economy, Pakistan has spent a huge sum on operations against the militant groups. According to the Reports of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, FDI declined sharply in Pakistan from $5.4 billion in 2007-08 to less than $1 billion in subsequent years, significantly from 2001 onward; the defence budget saw a rise to counter internal and external threats from terrorism, leading to borrowed growth, Subsequently, Pakistan had to bear heavy burden of war against terror due to the strained FDI, leading the state to the verge of collapse. Hence, the war on terror has crunched Pakistan’s economy.
“Economic terrorism is like cancer that kills a nation slowly, and makes even the mightiest state demoralized, non-functional, and turns it into a failed state.”
Charles Benton
Last but not least, the war on terror has hampered the growth of the tourism industry in Pakistan, which is the hub of financial growth and ultimately empowers economic status. Due to it, Pakistan has to face a lot of financial losses. And according to the Pakistan Association for Tourism, before the 9/11 incident, 1 million tourists used to visit Pakistan annually. Still, after the occurrence of terrorism, it dropped, termed as a “no-go” territory for foreign businessmen or donors. This underscores Pakistan suffered a lot of financial losses because of internal terrorist activities. Continuous waves of terrorism in Pakistan in 2008-10 hurt investor confidence, and a considerable amount of capital was flown out of the country, widening the fiscal deficit and halting economic growth.
After diagnosing the negative consequences of the war against terror that act as a roadblock to Pakistan, there is an ardent need for effective measures. First, the government should guarantee the implementation of counterterrorism legislation and penalties. This includes establishing clear legal frameworks, enhancing surveillance measures, and imposing strict penalties for terrorist activities. By doing so, the government ensures national security. Enforcing these policies surely empowers the state and enhances its economic growth. Hence, these measures have paved the way for the state to reach its maximum prosperity.
Second, the media in Pakistan plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability and addressing human rights violations, necessary to alleviate the anathema of war on terror in Pakistan. Indeed, media must enhance its various societal roles, confront prejudiced notions, and disrupt the perpetuation of conservative narratives. By illustrating the impacts of conflict and presenting a more inclusive perspective, it can contribute significantly to the pursuit of accountability. Therefore, accurately representing the realities of terrorism and human rights issues within the country is essential for fostering progress.
Lastly, global collaboration and support in the exchange of information is mandatory to curtail the impacts of war on terror in Pakistan. For this purpose, the International Criminal Court and other legal bodies must expedite investigations into war crimes and hold culprits accountable for genocidal actions. Moreover, these bodies also intensify global awareness campaigns to expose the atrocities, mobilize public opinion, and pressure the government to take concrete actions. By working together, nations can tackle pressing global issues. In essence, the collective exchange of knowledge strengthens global partnerships and paves the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.
Critically, the war on terror has imparted grave impacts in Pakistan not only psychologically but also in the socio-political and economic realms. Undoubtedly, the US wanted Pakistan to play an outsized military-centric role to help rein in anti-US actors in Afghanistan while Pakistan had to pay the high cost. Although successive governments have formulated different policies for the empowerment of the country, they have tried to implement them because of their tarnished image by terrorism at the global level. As Miftah Ismael, the great economist, says:
“The first and foremost duty of the state is to adopt peace for the sake to bring empowerment in the economic zone that leads them to the ultimate peak of glory.”
In a nutshell, the war on terror has been the most significant threat to Pakistan. Woefully, the issue has imparted its effects in the country in all realms, including mental traumas, social distress, economic declivity, political tussles, and many more, decreasing Pakistani masses’ employability and livelihood, along with sabotaging the activities of individuals. Moreover, due to the war on terror, Pakistan has been declared a terrorist state several times by the global community. Hence, the vivid national interest analysis must override personal interest to create a positive environment through strategic and collective decision-making plans focusing on the win-win cooperation of all.
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