Pakistan Army's Dangerous Shift: Why Anti-India Policy Is Now Domestic Doctrine

Munir, a report in India Narrative cited, is escalating his rhetoric against India to consolidate more power inside Pakistan, seeing it as a tool to increase the material size of the Pakistani military and its commercial stakes at the heart of Pakistan’s domestic politics.

."Unlike previous anti-India Army chiefs who were strategic about this rhetoric, the current chief This creates a vicious cycle of incentives, where every escalation could be rewarded by the international community, as happened in the aftermath of Pahalgam with Donald Trump and Asim Munir’s diplomatic overtures," the report stated.

It mentioned that there is also a difference in approach between Munir and some top-level Generals.

"A key point of contention is his hard-line stance toward India, which led to the recent military conflict. Some senior officers, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, reportedly believe that this confrontational approach is detrimental to Pakistan’s security and economic interests and have advocated a more cautious approach or the conflict could erupt..

"However, it is possible that hybridisation of the Pakistani state, as symbolized by the Field Marshal, is consolidating two features into permanent features. Anti-India sentiment is now squarely a domestic state policy for the Pakistani Army rather than an international issue, and Pakistan’s utility as a security state has to be repeatedly proven to its global benefactors," it added.

With Pakistan announcing a significant rise in its defence budget in the fiscal year 2025-26, the India Narrative report mentions that there is also a difference in approach between Munir and some top-level Generals.

"A key point of contention is his hard-line stance toward India, which led to the recent military conflict. Some senior officers, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, reportedly believe that this confrontational approach is detrimental to Pakistan’s security and economic interests and have advocated a more cautious approach or the conflict could erupt. However, it is possible that hybridisation of the Pakistani state, as symbolized by the Field Marshal, is consolidating two features permanently

"Anti-India sentiment is now squarely a domestic state policy for the Pakistani Army rather than an international issue, and Pakistan’s utility as a security state has to be repeatedly proven to its global benefactors. This means that the hybridization of the state could become impossible to disentangle so long as the current chief sees incentive in escalation and material benefit. This is an ominous portend for regional stability. This is because, unlike previous anti-India Army chiefs who were strategic about this rhetoric, the current chief sees it as a tool to increase the material size of the Pakistani military and its commercial stakes at the heart of Pakistan’s domestic politics," the report detailed.

- IANS