Public Demand: From Strategic Restraint to Visible Deterrence
By Major (R) Haroon Rasheed, a Defense and Strategic Analyst specializing in South Asian military dynamics, deterrence strategy, and defense modernization, and a member of the Research and Evaluation Cell for Advancing Basic Amenities and Development.
Pakistan is a nation in mourning — and a nation asking hard questions.
From the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the deserts of Balochistan, the green flag is being lowered again and again over fresh graves of soldiers who fought an invisible enemy — an enemy that strikes through proxies, sanctuaries, and hybrid warfare.
The anger on the streets is real.
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The grief in the homes of martyrs is real. The demand echoing across the country is becoming unmistakable.
How long will Pakistan only absorb the blows?
A Pattern the Public Can See.
The coordinated attacks in Balochistan, the use of quadcopters against security installations, the bombing in the federal capital, the kidnapping of soldiers, and even the targeting of ambulances — these are not isolated incidents.
In the public mind, they form a single picture: Pakistan is being bled through a sustained proxy war. And when the coffins keep coming, strategic restraint begins to look — in the eyes of the common citizen — like strategic passivity.
The Rise of the “Tit-for-Tat
Narrative across social media, in drawing rooms, in universities, and in veterans’ circles, one phrase dominates the national conversation:
- Deterrence must be felt, not just stated.
- The public is no longer satisfied with defensive success alone.
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There is a growing demand that:
- Those who plan, finance, and facilitate attacks against Pakistan must feel the cost.
- Safe havens used against Pakistan must no longer remain cost-free.
- Hybrid war must be answered in the same domain in which it is being fought.
This is not a call born out of adventurism — it is the reaction of a wounded nation that sees its soldiers fighting with courage while the strategic environment remains unchanged.
Deterrence Is a Psychological Equation
Deterrence in modern conflict is not achieved by capability alone.
It is achieved when the adversary believes that:
The cost of hurting Pakistan will exceed any possible gain.
At present, the public perception is that the cost is being paid only by Pakistan.
That perception — whether fully accurate or not — is strategically dangerous because it erodes internal confidence and strengthens hostile narratives.
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Kashmir: The Core Political and Moral Front
No discussion of regional security is complete without Kashmir — the unfinished agenda of Partition and the most heavily militarized zone in the world.
Pakistan’s political, diplomatic, and moral support for the Kashmiri people is not a tactical choice; it is a historical and legal position.
The public today is asking for that support to become:
- More visible
- More consistent
- More proactive on the global stage
Not in violation of international law — but in a way that re-energizes the issue and breaks the status quo that the adversary seeks to freeze.
From Reaction to Initiative
The demand emerging from the public is not merely for kinetic action; it is for initiative.
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A comprehensive response in a hybrid war environment includes:
1. Intelligence-led precision capability
The ability to neutralize threats before they materialize.
2. Regional counter-terror diplomacy
Turning the global spotlight on networks operating against Pakistan.
3. Information warfare dominance
Winning the narrative battle internationally and domestically.
4. Internal consolidation
The strongest reply to externally sponsored instability is a politically and economically stable Pakistan.
5. Visible deterrence signaling
Not escalation — but clarity that Pakistan’s red lines are real and enforceable.
The Cost of Inaction
Every martyr’s funeral is not only a moment of grief — it is a strategic message watched by both friends and adversaries.
If the nation appears unable to impose costs, the proxy war model becomes attractive for hostile actors.
If the nation demonstrates resolve, the equation changes.
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The National Mood Has Shifted
This is the most important reality policymakers must understand:
Pakistan’s public is no longer in a phase of patience — it is in a phase of demand.
Demand for:
- Security
- Reciprocity
- Visible deterrence
- Strategic clarity
The state does not take decisions based on emotion — but it can not remain disconnected from the national mood.
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Conclusion
The Time for a Deterrence Reset.
Pakistan does not seek conflict.
But Pakistan can not allow a situation in which:
Our soldiers are martyred daily, our cities are targeted, and our adversaries remain untouched.
The way forward is not reckless escalation.
The way forward is a deterrence reset — intelligent, calibrated, multidomain, and unmistakably firm.
Because in hybrid warfare, survival does not belong to the most patient state.
It belongs to the state that convinces its adversaries:
Bleeding Pakistan will carry an unbearable cost.
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By Major (R) Haroon Rasheed, a Defense and Strategic Analyst specializing in South Asian military dynamics, deterrence strategy, and defense modernization, and a member of the Research and Evaluation Cell for Advancing Basic Amenities and Development.
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