National security and broader alignment with the emerging world order have emerged as Pakistan’s new priorities, something politicians and the public need to understand, as a delayed reckoning of this reality could be counterproductive for both.

The hybrid regime is rolling out several legal and technical measures that promise better governance and ensure the vigilance of Pakistan’s cyberspace as a key checkpoint of the national security paradigm. This means diminishing space for expressing dissent and anything the establishment may define as detrimental to the state’s interests; the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill is one big example.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has secured its first long-term (2026-2035) World Bank Partnership, which initially promises $20 billion in funding in six key areas over the next decade. Moreover, we have apparently managed to strike a balance between our ties with the world’s two superpowers — the US and China.

The signing of the 10-year partnership with the World Bank and balancing of ties with the US and China indicate that the Pakistani establishment can be expected to align the country at least broadly with the emerging world order.

Imports have started growing even though large-scale manufacturing output is........

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