SOVEREIGNTY of a state can only be guaranteed by the will of its citizens to protect it with their blood and lives.

It cannot be achieved by outsourcing national security to foreign powers through defense pacts etc. In that case, it will become an illusion, which will be shattered when a threat arises. Many Gulf states are presently faced with this dilemma. They must reconsider their priorities. A country cannot function by converting its territory, into a bonanza for real estate foreign investors. They will abandon it when the bonanza subsides, even temporarily. Let us pray that Gulf states recover from this catastrophe and learn some lessons.

Investment in human resource development, alongwith inculcating a sense of patriotism and love for their motherland, where their parents have lived for centuries, is very vital. It is the love of their soil, and their faith and religious beliefs, which inculcates patriotism to a level, where citizens are willing to die, defending their borders. We in Pakistan have suffered when our national security was outsourced in 1957-58, to foreign........

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