Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nawabzada Jamal Raisani has clarified the meaning behind Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir’s reference to a “hard state.”

According to him, the army chief’s statement means that all terrorist groups — whether the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) or the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) — will be treated strictly as terrorists.

Speaking on Aaj News’ programme “Spotlight”, Raisani explained that by contrasting a “soft state,” the army chief was rejecting the perception that these organisations are legitimate movements fighting for Baloch rights.

He added that previous counterterrorism operations have only managed to eliminate branches of these groups, not their roots, which he claimed lie in Afghanistan with Indian intelligence agency RAW’s involvement.

Raisani further revealed that in a recent high-level meeting, it was decided that any force attempting to destabilise Pakistan would be dealt with an iron fist.

How will a ‘hard state’ affect Pakistan?

Speaking on the same program, Balochistan National Party (BNP) Senator Sanaullah Baloch warned that the concept of a “hard state” has rarely succeeded in multi-ethnic and multilingual nations.

He argued that such a model works temporarily in homogeneous societies where one language, ethnicity, and class dominate.

Barrister Aqeel, another panellist, emphasised that Pakistan’s security remains the top priority, and if necessary, targets could be pursued inside Afghanistan.

Senator Baloch criticised the use of terms like “hard state” and “soft state,” stating that such decisions should be made by political leaders and the parliament.

“Perhaps no one informed the general about the vocabulary and implications of these terms,” he remarked.

He further cautioned that a hard state typically leaves no space for civil society, opposition parties, or democratic institutions, and often results in elections that are neither free nor fair.

“Pakistan is already exhibiting 50 to 60 per cent characteristics of a hard state,” he claimed.

“But if the government officially declares Pakistan a hard state, it will have serious diplomatic repercussions.”