Securitizing Climate Change in Pakistan: Discourse, Policy, and the Implementation Gap

Abstract

Climate change has increasingly been framed as a critical security concern in global policy discourse, yet the translation of this framing into actionable policy remains uneven, particularly in developing countries. This article examines the securitization of climate change in Pakistan by analyzing the evolution of discourse, institutional responses, and the persistent gap between rhetorical recognition and practical implementation. Drawing on securitization theory, the study explores how climate change has been constructed as an existential threat within Pakistan’s policy landscape, particularly in the National Security Policy (2022–2026). Using qualitative methods, including document analysis and case study examination of major climatic events such as the 2010 and 2022 floods, the article identifies a significant disconnect between discourse and governance outcomes. While climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier,” institutional fragmentation, civil-military imbalances, limited technical capacity, and competing traditional security priorities hinder effective integration into national security planning. The article argues that Pakistan’s securitization of climate change remains largely symbolic and incomplete, lacking the structural transformation required for operational effectiveness. It concludes by proposing a shift toward institutional coherence, policy integration, and governance reform to enable meaningful climate-security integration. This study contributes to broader debates on environmental security by highlighting the challenges of translating securitization into practice in a Global South context.