Understanding the term National Integration is imperative for addressing this topic. H.A. Ghani presents national integration as a “socio-psychological and educational process through which feelings of unity, solidarity, and cohesion develop in the hearts of the people, fostering a sense of common citizenship and loyalty to the nation.” In simple terms, national integration is the process of bringing various cultures and communities under the umbrella of a single nation, employing socio-psychological and educational means.

Muhammad Nawaz Khan, in his paper titled “National Integration: Challenges and Options for Pakistan,” highlights two crucial features of the integration process: nation-building and state-building. Nation-building involves a psychological approach to creating a sense of commonality, whereas state-building is linked to territorial integrity and the absence of separatist sentiments within the geographical boundaries of the state.

Pakistan is still at an embryonic stage in fully achieving both nation-building and state-building. The case of Pakistan is similar to Rupert Emerson’s view in his book From Empire to Nation, where he maintains that the new states of Asia and Africa are not yet nations in being but only nations in hope.

Challenges

Following are some important challenges to the national integration.
1) Lax Governance, Denied political rights, Insecurity and Socio-economic disparity: Failing to stem the tide of crime, poverty, and social ills, lax governance has triggered feelings of marginalization in South Punjab, Interior Sindh, Baluchistan, and the Tribal Areas. Consequently, feelings of alienation have given a fillip to militancy. Flawed planning, unsteady development, and extraordinary delays in implementing policies are hallmarks of bad governance. The same can be observed in the ex- FATA region and Baluchistan. Having passed the bill for the FATA merger with KP seven years ago, implementation is still in limbo, and promises are largely unfulfilled. The deteriorating security situation in KP, particularly the ex- FATA region, has further compounded the challenges. Following a new military operation, “Sarbakaf,” in parts of the Bajaur tribal district, local people have found themselves between the devil and the deep sea, vulnerable to both terrorism and military operations. The recent failure of peace talks between the BajaurAmn Jirga and local militant commanders has left little room for the concerns of local communities. Sadly, hundreds of families have fled their homes due to operation in the restive LowiMamund and War Mamund tehsils. Furthermore, the ex- FATA region already performs dismally in the indices of education, economy, human development, and climate change. The war-torn area remains on the receiving end of poorly crafted policies by the establishment, failures of Afghan policy, and bad governance. It would be essential to have a post-operation development plan to cater to the needs of the local population, or at least the promises made at the time of the merger should be lived up to. Moreover, the case of Baluchistan is no different. Baluchistan remains largely underdeveloped. According to the UNDP Report for 2020-21, Baluchistan’s average annual GDP rate stands at 2.1 % against its population growth of 3.2%. To add insult to injury, the Multi-dimensional Poverty Indexpredicts highest level of poverty at 71.2% in Baluchistan. The issue of enforced disappearance, denied political rights and say in mineral related agreements further aggravate the sense of........

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