QUAID-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a state of Pakistan deserves to be treated not as ceremonial rhetoric but as a practical national policy, as today Pakistan confronts terrorism, political polarization, economic pressures, provincial grievances and a difficult regional environment. Pakistan can prosper only through unity, discipline, constitutional governance, national cohesion and the capacity to defend its sovereignty. Pakistan can’t afford a federation divided politically, socially or geographically. Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and the federal capital are not competing entities; they are components of one sovereign state. The federation must ensure that every province feels equally protected, represented and respected. Balochistan and KP deserve special attention. Both provinces have suffered enormously from terrorism and instability.

The state must strengthen law enforcement, intelligence coordination, education, employment, infrastructure, political participation and local governance. Development must reach ordinary citizens, because an alienated citizen is more vulnerable to propaganda than one who believes that the state belongs to him. Pakistan’s security establishment and government have expressed concern about hostile external forces exploiting internal vulnerabilities. Through terrorist networks, India is destabilizing Pakistan. Hostile states are exploiting ethnic, political and economic grievances........

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