Non State Actors in Pakistan-Their

Destabilizing role in Political crisis faced

Syed Maqbool Hussain Abidy

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 Abstract: The idea of nation-sate after the Second World War emerged as the strongest political entity,
state was being considered as sovereign authority, according to Max Weber, had monopoly over the use of
force. But the NSAs begin to challenge nation-state borders and sovereignty claims. Right from there,
international as well as domestic politics have been strongly affected and shaped by Non State Actors
(NSAs) as entities that participate or act in international organizations. They have long influenced the
political structure of a state by using violence, mobilized masses by invoking social norms, and accordingly
claimed the distribution of wealth.
The Non State Actors have grown into powerful political actors with backing of agencies like the Inter
Service Intelligence (ISI) in Pakistan and with their increasing role in the policies of the state, have
endangered the existence of Pakistan as a state. It is in itself one of the biggest problem and challenge for
India that those whom Pakistan or other agencies are calling as Non State Actors are the states own
creation. These actors are state sponsored and are being trained in State institutions.

Key Words: Non State Actors, Multinational corporations, ISI, Nation State, Westphalia System.
.

Introduction
Since the World War II, the idea of nation-sate emerged as the strongest political entity, state was started
being seen as ultimate authority and which, according to Max Weber, had monopoly over the use of force.
This claim, however, did not go unchallenged. Right from there, international as well as domestic politics
have been strongly affected and shaped by Non State Actors (NSAs) as entities that participate or act in
international organizations. They have long influenced the political structure of a state by using violence,
mobilized masses by invoking social norms, and accordingly claimed the distribution of wealth. They
increasingly challenge the traditional state system and underlying structure of international politics. The
NSAs can be defined as an organized political actor not directly connected to the state but pursuing aims
that affect vital state interests. There is a wide variety of Non State Actors such as warlords, Private
military corporations (PMCs) criminal and terrorist networks, organized crime groups both domestic and
transnational youth gangs, multinational corporations, and the United Nations, Non Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) to name just a few.

Role of Non State Actors (NSAs)

These diverse and combo of Non State Actors have not any specific role but each have its implications
for domestic and international politics. The Non State Actors have reshaped the nature of international relations
by putting challenges before state sovereignty and nationalism. The policies, decisions of the sovereign state are
more affected and influenced by Non State Actors rather by State Institutions. As Wye and Keohane have
rightly argued that serve as transmission belts for states to develop and build their foreign policies and act as a
pull to bring the nation states together to develop friendly relations.
Non State Actors come in various shapes, sizes such as NGOs, multinational corporations, UN and other
organisations like terror networks, known as Violent Non State Actors. These manifold and diversified non
State Actors plays a unique role in the ever-changing realm of international security. They have some positive as
well as negative role whether it is in the field of International security, diplomacy or economy, but Violent Non-
State Actors (VNSAs) (terrorist and criminal organisations) play a crucial and destabilizing role in humanitarian
and political crisis faced by international community. “Certainly the deleterious effects of criminals and terror
networks often act to undermine the fabric of international security. Simultaneously, NGOs and the UN, more
often than not, exert their energy in a positive manner. Meanwhile, the role of private security firms and their
influence on international
security is a point of appreciable contention.”(Jesse Schwartz).
The Non State Actors in the present context of conflicts play a central role in bilateral relations with neighboring
countries. The VNASs make use of different violent and unfair and illegal means to reach to their goals, they do
not care for peace and security issues; they have just become a threat for international peace and security. In a
cursory survey it is being suggested that role of VNSAs is increasing day by day and becoming a grave threat to
peace and stability.
NSAs begin to challenge nation-state borders and sovereignty claims. In his article Phil Williams argues that
“VNSAs have become a persistent challenge to nation-states in the 21st century” 1. Sometimes Non State Actors
that operate without a state control plays a crucial role in internal and trans-border conflicts and subject the state
institutions to their decisions. So it is important to take into consideration the complex implications of the NSA
and VNSAs on state and its domestic and foreign policies.

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Rise of NON State Actors

It is clear from available scholarship and sources that NSAs do have certain things in common: they all
emerge in response to inadequacies, deficiencies or shortcomings in many states and to one degree or another
seek to compensate for those shortcomings. We can add that VNSAs are the result of poor state governance but
they further try to undermine the governance of the state. The role of Non State Actors in the international
security got attention after the 9/11 attack. The United States is also responsible for the rise of NSAs when the
Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the US trained and armed the unarmed youths to resist the Soviet
Invasion (R. Frost, Zaman 2015, Steve 2004).2
Globalization is also seen as one of the vital factors for the rise of NSAs as it not only challenged and
under estimated the individual state capacity and power to manage the state affairs but also provide facilitators
and force multipliers for VNSAs. In a similar vein, globalization has allowed VNSAs to develop what might be
termed transnational social capital and to create alliances and generate support outside the immediate area of
their operations.

Non State Actors in Pakistan

According to the USA (Rule of law in armed conflicts project 2012) 3 , a plethora of non-State
armed groups have been engaged in violent struggle in Pakistan since 2001, including:
• Harkat-ul-Jihad-I-Islamia (HUJI)
• Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM)
• Hizb-I Islami Gulbuddin (HIG)  
• Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) 
•  Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)
• Lashkar -e- Jhangvi   ( LeJ )
• Lashkar -e- Taiba   ( LeT )
•  Sipah-e-Sahaba/Pakistan (SSP) 
• * Al-Islambouli Brigades of al-Qaeda
These NSAs have no common interest therefore the numbers. They, however, seem to be caused by the
both factors: on the one hand the inability of the country to manage its political affairs while as on the other,
they are sponsored some Intelligence agencies or certain government institutions in other countries in order to
fulfill their short term goals.
The ISI is believed to be aiding these organizations in Pakistan in eradicating perceived enemies and
those opposed to their cause, including India. The FBI’s Satellite Imagery has suggested the existence of several
militant camps in Pakistan with at least one militant admitting that he is being trained for fighting in India.
Pakistan is being believed to be involved in supporting separatist militias and giving shelter and training to
different Jihadist organizations in order to fight in India and raise insurgencies on Indian land. Many nonpartisan
sources have suggested that the officials within Pakistan’s ISI are providing aid to Jihadists and adding that the
“ISI has provide covert but well documented support to terrorist groups active in Kashmir” 4. But the then
Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari in clear cut had denied any kind of involvement in militant activities in
Kashmir and other parts of India and admitted that the previous Governments had “deliberately created and
nurtured militants as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives” 5
Mobilization of Public Opinion and controlling Pakistan’s Foreign Policy

The Non State Actors play a crucial role in mobilizing the people in Pakistan for fighting against India in
Kashmir as well as in other parts of India. In this way, NSAs shape the foreign policy of Pakistan in the South
Asian region as well as internationally. In consultation and guidance of State organised institutions lectures are
being delivered and telecasted for mobilizing the youths.
ISI and Pak Military camps serve as training Institutions for training volunteers of the Non State Actor groups
like Sapeh-Sabha, Lashkar-e-jhangvi and hafiz Syed’s  Jaish-e-Mohammad . These Actors are wholly
sponsored and funded by government in order to fulfill and gain their short term ends without letting the world
and International organisations to know about their diplomatic warfare.They have grown into powerful actors
only with the backing of ISI and government.
When the Pak-government and the institutions feel that these actors are out of control and are about to action
against them, they mobilize people in the name of religion in order to get the mass support and get rid of
governmental operations.

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IMPLICATIONS OF VNSAs

In the post Westphalia system of State Sovereignty established in 1648 NSAs have indubitably and strongly and
keenly influenced the globalised world.
• VNSAs have planned aims to create a climate of extreme fear or terror;
• Violence is directed at a wider audience or target than the immediate victims of the violence;
• They inherently involves attacks on random and symbolic targets, including civilians;
• The acts of violence committed are seen by the society in which they occur as extra-normal, in the
literal sense that they breach the social norms, thus causing a sense of outrage;
• VNSAs aim at to influence political behavior in some way, for example to force opponents into
conceding some or all of the perpetrators demands, to provoke an over-reaction, to serve as a catalyst
for a more general conflict or to publicize a political or religious cause, to inspire followers to emulate
violent attacks, to give vent to deep hatred and the thirst for revenge, and to help undermine
governments and institutions designated as enemies by the terrorists.

References
1. (Phil Williams, “Violent Non-State Actors and National and International Security,”
International Relations and Security Network (ISN), 2008.).
2.Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet
Invasion to September 10, 2001, written by Steve Coll, published in 2004 by Penguin Press,
won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
3.Rise of the Non-State Actors in Middle East: Regional Dimensions Shams Uz Zaman,
IPRI Journal XV, no. 1 (Winter 2015): 51-65
4.See geneva-academy.ch/RULAC/non-state_armed_groups.php?id_state=166

5.See also "Pakistan - Terrorist groups", South Asia Terrorism Portal and "Pakistan's militant
Islamic groups", BBC News, 13 January 2012.
6. Terrorism Havens: Pakistan – Council on Foreign Relations
7.World Pakistan Photo, Video Blog: New York Diaries (8 July 2009). "Zardari says Pak
created and nurtured militants – CNN IBN News". Ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved20 August 2013.
8.Annete Idler Department of International Development & St. Antony’s College, University
of Oxford.
9.James J F Forest School of Criminology and Justice Studies,University of Massachusetts
Lowell

10.Philip Williams: (International Relations and Security Network (ISN) 2008); Violent Non-
State Actors and National and International Security.
11.Rajeev Chaudary (2013): Violent Non-State Actors: Contours, Challenges and
Consequences; Claws Journal
12. Robert I Rotberg: “Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: causes and Indicators”---
Rotberg (edited) When States Fail:
Causes and Consequences; Princeton University Press and copyrighted, © 2003

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13. Annette Idler and James J F Forest: (2015) Behavioral Patterns among (Violent) Non-
State Actors: A Study of Complementary Governance. Stability: International Journal of
Security & Development, 4(1): 2, pp. 1-19, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.er
14.DCAF Horizon Working Paper ( 2015) :Armed Non-State Actors: Current Trends &
Future Challenges
15. David Cunnugham Kristian Skredge Gleditsh (KSG) and Idem (2013) Salehyan the
Non-State Actors in Armed Conflict Dataset (NSA) Conflict Management and Peace Science
November 2013 vol. 30 no. 5 516-531
16.Davis, Diane E.(2009)'Non-State Armed Actors, New Imagined Communities, and Shifting
Patterns of Sovereignty and Insecurity in the Modern World', Contemporary Security
Policy,30:2,221 — 245
17.Ivan Briscoe; Non-conventional armed violence and non-state actors: challenges for
mediation and humanitarian action- Norwegian Peace building Resource Centre; Report , May
2013.
18.Editorial, The Express Tribune December 17,2012 State and non-state actors;
http://tribune.com.pk/story/480825/stateandnonstateactors/
19.Khan, Feisal, “Corruption and the Decline of the State in Pakistan,” Asian Journal of
Political Science (August 2007), 219-247

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