SDG 8 UNDER FIRE: MILITARIZATION, MISINFORMATION, AND THE COLLAPSE OF CROSS-BORDER BUSINESS TRUST IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how militarization and misinformation intersect to erode trust in cross-border business relationships, hindering Pakistan’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Using an interpretivist paradigm and single-case study design, the research analyzes fifty-five secondary sources including policy documents, academic studies, institutional reports, and media archives through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. The results identify three key themes: (1) securitization of development, where militarization redirects economic priorities toward defense; (2) narrative construction of threat, where misinformation deepens fear and isolation; and (3) emergence of a trust-deficit economy, characterized by declining institutional reliability and weakened regional cooperation. Together, these dynamics form an “information–security trap,” where militarization and misinformation reinforce each other to destabilize development. The study presents informational fragility, a condition in which misinformation erodes economic confidence, and is based on Trust Theory, Narrative Economics, and Conflict-Sensitive Development Theory.  Therefore, de-securitizing governance, preserving information integrity, and reestablishing institutional trust are necessary to achieve SDG 8.