IN international politics, national power of a state is considered as the hallmark while determining the status of a State.
The national power of any state relies on the combination of many elements and factors, commonly known as the elements of national power.
Among these elements of national power, the military is considered as the most significant and unquestionable factor.
Traditionally, the military of Pakistan has acted as a very strong pillar of national power.
In this perspective, the Pakistani military faced numerous challenges while defeating the aggressive designs of rival powers at regional and international level.
In order to demonstrate its desired power potential, the military needs the support of the masses of Pakistan.
Customarily, the masses of Pakistan respected and loved the military for its effective role in all wars and while combating the non-traditional security threats and challenges especially in combating the terrorism.
The well planned defamation campaign against Pakistani Military through social media and otherwise by non-state actors is an attempt to create a split among masses and military.
These groups make use of mainstream as well as the social media for their disinformation campaigns to defame and politicize the military and its premium intelligence agency; Inter-Services-Intelligence (ISI).
It appears that this politicization of the Pakistani Military is part of a larger agenda which may prove very dangerous against this most organized, highly professional, most popular and most loved institution of Pakistan.
Domestically, the defamation of Pak Army aims at relegation of the love and respect, the men in uniform have been receiving from the masses.
The Pakistani military draws its strength from the masses of Pakistan.
This intimate bond and devoted connection is the real area of concern for the rivals of Pakistan.
The foes of Pakistan therefore have chosen to target this intimate relationship in phase one of their larger anti-Pakistan agenda.
During this phase, the planners would like to create differences between masses and military through an indirect strategy of defamation while negatively agitating the sentiments of masses and creating abhorrence against the institution of Pak Army.
Indeed, no external power can succeed in overpowering Pakistan in the presence of a very strong and highly professional military which enjoys the unswerving, resilient and dedicated support from the people of Pakistan.
The enemies of Pakistan had tried it many a time, last being the global war against terrorism.
The intimacy and strong association between the Pakistani military and the masses enabled the former to combat, defeat and dig-out the roots of this internationally sponsored terrorism against the state of Pakistan.
Nevertheless, the brave armed forces of Pakistan crushed these terrorists and their backers and abettors.
This annoyed the planners and compelled them to diversify their strategies against Pakistan.
A critical analysis of war against terrorism would reveal that it was an internationally sponsored campaign against Pakistan and its highly professional military.
At the domestic front the Pakistani military had to confront many zones of conflict: the widespread terrorism of TTP all along the western borders, Daesh (ISK) operating alongside many other splinter groups of terrorists and growing terrorism of BLA, BLF and BRA in the Province of Balochistan.
Besides, the militants from Afghanistan who frequently attack along Pak-Afghan border on military posts.
The Taliban in Afghanistan has strengthened the TTP terrorists since August 2021.
Afghan soil is now being used by all terrorists, operating against Pakistan through their handlers and abettors.
While debating the external dimension of targeting Pakistan and its military, it appears that after having failed in their strategies and efforts of weakening the Pakistani Military through direct approach, the international and regional powers have adopted indirect strategies to weaken Pakistan and Pakistani military.
They assume that, after weakening the Military, there will be no force to resist the international and regional forces to ruin Pakistan, the way it happened with Iraq and Libya.
Defamation of Pakistani Military is an indirect approach to shatter Pakistan and its society through a phased strategy.
It is a strategy of war, used by ancient military strategists like; Carl Von Clausewitz (Prussian General and military theorist) and Sun Tzu (Chinese General and military strategist).
These strategists and many others have advised their governments to formulate strategies to defeat your enemy from within.
Defeating the enemies from within have many dimensions; creating fault lines, causing split, defamation and humiliation, hatching plots and conspiracies, politicization of key institutions and causing hatred against institutions of national security.
At this crucial moment of Pakistan, the people of Pakistan must understand the regional and international conspiracies to weaken Pakistan through an indirect approach of targeting its military.
Since all other strategies to weaken and defeat the military have failed over the years, therefore rivals are resorting to use and invest on those elements who can defame the military at home for creating a sense of demoralization and distrust.
From the perspective of professionalism, bravery and dedication, the Pakistani military is ranked among the top few militaries of the world.
Its brave men have safeguarded Pakistani geographical frontiers against all sorts of aggressions and security challenges; hence defamation of this national institution should not be unacceptable to any Pakistani.
It is hard to imagine the challenges and hardships the military men face while confronting the challenges of modern warfare and terrorism.
Let’s stand behind our fighting outfits to defeat the terrorists and the conspiracies being hatched against the state, its security institutions and society of Pakistan.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad. (drmkedu@gmail.com)
