Pakistan initially consisted of two areas, East Pakistan and West Pakistan, separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory. The conflict ended in stalemate and Kashmir remains disputed territory divided by a heavily defended Line of Control where since 1948 UN observers have investigated reported violations. As Pakistan passed its first half-century of existence, its security problems had changed yet were in many ways the same. The global setting has altered radically, but the enmity with India remains a constant, although it has gained in predictability and, probably, stability.
Subversion is still a potential rather than an active threat.
Problems of law and order are more acute, but the means of dealing with them has not changed greatly. Rather, Pakistan's security problems are rooted in its own polity and society. Repeated political collapse, corruption, inability to define its ethnic and religious identities, and failure to meet the needs of the people are challenges that could eviscerate a state even with the most capable military machine and efficient security apparatus. Poverty remains a serious problem in Pakistan. The population of 135 million is growing at almost 3 percent per year.