Dear Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,
I write as a concerned observer of South Asia’s shared future, not to condemn, but to reflect honestly on choices and opportunities. Pakistan was born from Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of dignity, equality, and freedom. In his 11 August 1947 address to the Constituent Assembly, he called for a state where religion unites rather than divides and citizens enjoy equal rights irrespective of faith. That promise was of a modern, tolerant nation built on education, harmony, and opportunity.
This vision was more than political independence. It was a moral contract between the state and its people. When violence is justified for strategic gain, that contract quietly fractures. What follows is not insecurity imposed from outside, but instability generated within.
That dream has steadily eroded through internal choices: short-term alliances with extremists and policies favouring confrontation over stability. The Pakistani people deserve better, and it is not too late to realign with the founding promise.
The suicide bombing at Khadija Tul Kubra Mosque in Islamabad on 6 February 2026 killed at least 31 worshippers during Friday prayers and injured over 169. You condemned it as inhuman. Islamic State or IS claimed responsibility. Yet, blame quickly shifted to India and Afghanistan, with little evidence. This reflex repeats often. Individual tragedies are treated as isolated events, but together they reveal a pattern. Violence cultivated for external leverage returns home fragmented and uncontrollable. Nations rarely unravel from a single attack. They erode when denial becomes policy.
In 2025, Pakistan endured its deadliest year in over a decade: 1,066 militant attacks and 3,413 combat-related deaths, a 74% rise from 2024, including 667 security personnel and 580 civilians, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Militants suffered heavily as well, with over 2,100 killed in operations. These figures demand introspection from both civilian leadership and the Establishment about how past policies fed this spiral.
Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were long backed as tools in Kashmir. On 22 April 2025, militants from The Resistance Front, or TRF, a Lashkar offshoot, attacked tourists in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, killing 26 civilians, mostly Hindus singled out by religion, and injuring 20. India blamed Pakistan and tensions soared. Violence abroad is framed as resistance, while violence at home is labelled conspiracy. The contrast is unmistakable.
What once appeared as leverage has become strategic exhaustion. Proxy warfare now yields no diplomatic gains, no economic benefit, and no lasting deterrence. It drains institutions and leaves citizens paying for decisions they never endorsed.
Afghanistan, once viewed as strategic depth, has turned hostile. The Taliban now shelter Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters launching cross-border attacks. TTP violence surged in 2025, prompting Pakistani airstrikes and border clashes. Relations strain and trade falters. Militant movements do not remain controllable assets forever. Ideology ignores borders. Blowback is not accidental. It is predictable.
Fanaticism corrodes society internally. Sectarian divisions widen. Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, and Hindus face growing suppression. The Islamabad blast targeted Shias at prayer, exposing divides tolerated for strategic convenience. When minorities live in fear, the damage spreads. Trust erodes, innovation recedes, and silence replaces curiosity.
In Balochistan, unrest persists. From late January to early February 2026, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants carried out coordinated attacks across districts, targeting police, banks, prisons, and civilians. Dozens died, while counter-operations claimed hundreds of fighters. Yet grievances over marginalisation, resource inequity, and disappearances remain unresolved. Security operations may suppress violence, but without political reconciliation, resentment simply waits for another generation.
Pakistan once showed economic promise. Today, total public debt stands at around PKR 80.5 trillion, up 13% year on year as of January 2026, with external debt near $91 to 92 billion. IMF support brings stability, but austerity burdens the vulnerable. In 2025, GDP grew about 2.7%, inflation averaged 4.5%, and unemployment stood near 8%. Extremism does more than kill. It repels capital, narrows opportunity, and convinces youth that departure offers more dignity than participation.
Hope still exists. Honouring Jinnah’s ideals requires dismantling extremist networks through reform, not force alone. Education spending must rise beyond two per cent of GDP. Madrasas promoting intolerance must be regulated. Baloch leaders must be engaged genuinely, with fair resource sharing and autonomy. Balochistan’s mineral wealth should drive prosperity, not rebellion.
With Afghanistan, diplomacy must replace escalation. Trade once worth billions can be revived. Minorities must be protected, and the misuse of blasphemy laws fuelling mob violence must end. Regionally, cooperation must replace confrontation.
The Establishment must reflect as well. Militaries confront enemies, but nations progress by confronting mistakes. Military solutions alone perpetuate cycles. Strong civilian oversight builds accountability.
Pakistan’s trajectory affects all of South Asia. When one nation normalises extremism, neighbours are forced to militarise. Peace is not a concession. It is a regional responsibility.
Your people have borne enough. The world advances through harmony, not terror. The choice is not between strength and restraint, but between repetition and renewal. Time presses, yet the path remains open.
Yours in hope for wiser days,
A Concerned Voice from South Asia
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