Despite sufficient agricultural production, food insecurity remains alarmingly persistent in many low- and middle-income countries. This study interrogates the paradox of hunger amid abundance in Pakistan, where 36.2% of the population faces food insecurity despite a national dietary energy surplus. We argue that the root of this disconnect lies not in food availability, but in fragmented governance—manifested through policy incoherence, institutional misalignment, and the exclusion of local voices from decision-making. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we assess the coherence of 13 national and provincial food-related governance instruments using a custom-built Principle–Criteria–Indicators (PCI) framework. This framework evaluates policy alignment across four core food security dimensions: availability, access, utilization, and stability. Complementing the policy analysis are 45 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders across Islamabad, Punjab, and Sindh, offering ground-level insights into implementation realities. Our findings reveal stark inconsistencies between policy intent and execution, particularly in areas related to economic access, nutritional utilization, and inter-ministerial coordination. While newer strategies like the National Food Security Policy (2018) show higher coherence scores, they are constrained by outdated legal frameworks, inadequate monitoring systems, and poor integration with subnational governance. The study proposes a participatory governance redesign that integrates marginalized actors into food system planning, aiming to realign national priorities with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production). By combining diagnostic policy tools with participatory evidence, this research offers a scalable framework for diagnosing food system fragmentation—providing timely insights for countries grappling with structural barriers to food equity.