LAHORE: Foreign affairs expert Muhammad Mehdi has said that Pakistan’s national security cannot be defined by military strength alone, urging a wider approach that accounts for economic stability, institutional strength, and public trust.
Mehdi made these remarks while delivering a lecture on the current security situation in Asia and its possible future scenarios at Johns Hopkins University, ranked among the world’s top 20 institutions. The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session with faculty members and students.
Speaking on the occasion, Mehdi said that viewing Pakistan’s national security solely through the lens of military power, defence capabilities, and border security presents only one part of the contemporary concept of state security. In the modern international system, he explained, national security has evolved into a multidimensional concept encompassing not just military defence but also economic stability, the effectiveness of political institutions, internal peace, cybersecurity, technological capacity, and public trust.
According to the press release issued here, he said political confrontation, institutional tensions, economic pressures, provincial grievances, and terrorism in Pakistan should not be treated as separate issues, as these factors influence one another and collectively affect the overall capacity of the state. Sustainable national security, he maintained, requires strong institutions, the rule of law, economic stability, and public confidence in the state system.
Turning to Pakistan’s relations with China and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mehdi said the success of major economic projects should be judged not merely by infrastructure development but by measurable economic outcomes, citing industrial production, trade, exports, employment, and technology transfer as key indicators.
On regional security, he called for various arrangements, including the Mecca Defence Agreement, to be assessed on the basis of treaty obligations and national interests, stressing the need to clearly understand the scope of collective defence, decision-making mechanisms, and Pakistan’s responsibilities in potential regional conflicts.
Discussing relations with the United States, Mehdi pointed to opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, technology, and diplomacy, but cautioned that no external relationship can substitute for addressing Pakistan’s domestic economic weaknesses.
He concluded that Pakistan’s national security goes beyond defence capabilities to reflect the overall capacity of the state, with strong defence, a stable economy, effective institutions, academic and technological capacity, and public trust all playing a fundamental role.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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