The spectre of national security haunts Pakistan. Since its inception, there hasn’t been a single year when the country was deemed safe and secure. The official rhetoric consistently emphasises that Pakistan is under threat from both internal and external forces. This unrelenting regime of fear, intimidation, and speculation has led to hopelessness among the populace and a growing apathy towards the country’s future. It is high time for the state and its security institutions to recognise that the myth of national security no longer resonates in contemporary times. We are blindly walking into darkness. The government must abandon the notion of ignoring the aspirations of the masses while hiding behind the comfort of the national security narrative.

“The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power.” This quote from George Orwell’s *1984* appears strikingly relevant to Pakistan’s current state. Successive governments have ignored the will and wishes of the common people. Unfortunately, the interests of ordinary citizens conflict with those holding absolute, unquestionable power. In the name of national security, the unelected arms of the state have inflicted immense damage on the economic, social, and political interests of the people. Every government’s short-sightedness has consistently........

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