Journal of Nautical Eye and Strategic Studies

Pakistan's Maritime Sector: A Catalyst for Economic Growth and Prosperity

2025-12-16T08:27:30+00:00

The maritime sector is playing a vital role in the economic development of many countries across the globe. The trade of world is completely dependent on sea and it has also increased the importance of maritime sector in the globalized world. Maritime power is also a vital component of states’ National Power. Pakistan has been blessed with more than 1000 Km coastline. Pakistan has amazing strategic location in Arabian Sea which can play a significant role in the economic development and the protection of maritime assets of Pakistan. Maritime components can be utilized to improve the economy of Pakistan. This article is intended to highlight the potentials and prospects of Maritime Power of Pakistan for its economic development.

Gwadar’s Tourism Potential - A Catalyst for Socio-economic Development in Baluchistan

2025-12-16T08:34:01+00:00

Gwadar is a significant port city and a most critical node point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, envisioning sustainable tourism that can add to the peace and security within and beyond the country. The present research exploration registers a positive trajectory of a tourism-led holistic security prism. It evaluates ‘why and how’ states have developed their coastlines and maritime infrastructure and successfully leveraged them as an asset for the state. The central argument of this paper is that Gwadar has all the essential baseline ingredients: a picturesque coastline fused with human and cultural heritage that needs to be unlocked to be a vibrant tourist destination for the proactive inclusive national peace, stability and security of the country. Therefore, Gwadar is poised to be perceived and pursued as a ‘Strategic Tourism Key’ for investing in and promoting the Maritime economy to overcome our country’s social and economic disparities and security challenges. An integrated theoretical prism, based on inferences from the ‘Traditional and Non-Traditional Security’ perspective is employed in this study. Here, an indigenous ecosystem that defines the tourism policy perspectives, policies and practices is kept in mind. The dialects of the ‘NI (national interest) – NS (national security) – HS (human security)’ are incorporated through the contractive lens. In crux, this research is alarmist and futuristic at the same time. On the one hand, it highlights the maritime infrastructure and tourism potential of Gwadar and its significance for Pakistan. Parallel to this, the study notes the development gaps in existing tourism policies and limitations in previous policies. In short, Gwadar as a ‘tourist’ destination must be seen as a means for inclusive and holistic national security aspirations. Sustainable peace and stability through ‘Tourism’ is an innovative practice that needs to be cultivated to the maximum in Gwadar’s case based on the balanced ‘state and society’s equation.

Religion and Politics in Pakistan: The Weaponization of Faith

2025-12-16T10:26:44+00:00

There are many religions in the world and people in different regions practice different religions. Sometimes religious beliefs are exploited to achieve certain selfish interests. Muslim Majority of the subcontinent gained independence in the name of religion and as a result, Pakistan came into being on 14 August 1947. The analysis of religion and politics reveals that the interplay of external and internal forces has contributed to extremism and political sectarianism in Pakistan. From the beginning, the leadership in Pakistan struggled to sustain an ideological foundation based on religion, Islam. The research examines how different factions have deliberately exploited Islam to advance political agendas and vested interests. Moreover, the use of religion as a tool for personal interests has significantly influenced the development and peaceful co-existence of the country. This research not only highlights the role of religion in the politics of Pakistan during post-partition but also in the context of different governments of Pakistan such as the eras of Bhutto and General Zia. Furthermore, during the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Zia-ul-Haq religion was part of politics to develop narratives in favor of their governments to consolidate power. Similarly, the policy of Islamization was used to manipulate people’s narratives by the use of religion. The post-9/11 era witnessed the repercussions on the political fabric of society due to the intensification of radical forces and the surge in regional and extra-regional actors. The recent incident in Parachinar also highlighted the challenges Pakistan is facing due to the complex interplay between religion and politics. Over the past 76 years of independence, the vision of a Democratic Islamic Republic remains vague. This research attempts to study the complex relationship between religion and politics and the ongoing challenges faced by Pakistan from multiple perspectives so that one can find ways forward.

Hybrid Threats to the Maritime Infrastructure of Pakistan

2025-07-08T05:04:35+00:00

During a period of poly crisis, Pakistan has been trying to rebuild its economic infrastructure through the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. But the lack of operationalization of Gwadar Port has raised eyebrows on Pakistan’s Maritime infrastructure which is primarily centered in or on Karachi. The overreliance on Karachi is of considerable concern due to cyber-attacks and maritime terrorism utilizing unscrewed ground, aerial and surface vehicles by VNSAs and VEOs. This paper endeavours to understand the various facets of Pakistan’s MIS via the model presented by Beuger and Liebetrau while highlighting the hybrid threats being faced in the context of the prevailing environment. The study explains the various factors that are contributing to the rise in hybrid threats by hybrid actors and proposes a plan to develop redundancies and resilience within the system so as to ensure development of multi domain security architecture.

Meals Through Maritime: Challenges and Opportunities of Pakistan’s Fisheries Sector

2025-12-16T10:41:16+00:00

This paper attempts to outline the potential of Pakistan's fisheries sector in supporting food security, its contribution towards economic development, and to tackling the emergent challenges of human security. The country is reasonably well endowed with a marine ecosystem, but there are strong barriers that face the full exploitation of fisheries resources. These are environmental burdens causing degradation; overfishing; and poor and inadequate infrastructure. The objective of this research is to assess the potential of Pakistan’s fisheries sector in contributing to food security and economic development, while examining the key challenges of environmental degradation, overfishing, and inadequate infrastructure, and to propose policy recommendations through the lens of human security theory and regional comparative experiences. This research discusses the importance of increasing contributions to reducing food insecurity in more than 20% of the population through provision of a sustainable source of protein and improving livelihoods in coastal communities. Comparative successes include that of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where aquaculture has been integrated into their economies and improved food security. The research will also draw findings from the context of Barry Buzan's human security theory to set out the issues of stability related to the welfare of humankind in regard to food, the economy, and environment. Using qualitative research techniques, expert consultations, and secondary data, this paper concludes into action initiatives and policy recommendations on the issues the fisheries sector of Pakistan faces.

Narratives of Artificial Intelligence in Global Governance: Discourse, Power, and Responsible Innovation

2025-12-16T10:19:34+00:00

The quick development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompted a great deal of attention concerning its global governance. For global policy, innovation, security, and ethics are paramount. These factors also shape important social perceptions relating to the risks and the value of the opportunities associated with AI, the stakeholders involved in AI policy and decision making, and the futures that are imagined and prioritized. This paper explores the three dominant narratives the governance of AI: positioning AI as an economic engine, a security challenge, and as an enabler of sustainable development. The paper employs the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and the Science, Technology and Society (STS) frameworks to study the narratives of leading global players (e.g. the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)). These narratives are frequently written from a Global North perspective and largely overlook the imbalances of power, the voices and perspectives of the Global South, and the issues of governance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a Gender perspective, and other marginalized voices in the narratives of AI governance. Centering inequity in AI governance calls for the expansive revision of the narratives to incorporate more civilizational, geopolitical, and moral frameworks. These actions would guarantee that AI development is socially and ethically responsible while also providing fairness in the distribution and accessibility of the benefits and risks it poses. This article aims to broaden the AI governance narratives through discourse analysis to build a future that is democratic and just.