For a cerebral strategy

Pakistan has been confronted with conflict since its inception, even before it became a physical reality. In fact, its birth was an outcome of a raging conflict of ideologies, which translated into a split of the Subcontinent into initially two sovereign nations and later three. Whether it was the June 3 Plan or Sir Radcliffe’s not-so-steady hand, the ‘conflict’ remains sewn in its weaves.

This May, Pakistan entered the combat zone once again, but this time the circumstances were fundamentally different. Like the Marvel universe, where true power often lies behind unassuming facades, Pakistan's strength emerged from advanced technology that seamlessly bridged digital networks and strategic operations, transcending geographical limitations. On May 10, 2025, when South Asia once again teetered on the precipice of conflict, a sudden escalation along the Line of Control thrust the region into global headlines.

Pakistan's response – technologically sophisticated, resolute yet measured – signalled a quiet but profound transformation in regional dynamics. The systematic disruption of enemy capabilities, from disabling military installations to dismantling air defence systems and penetrating cyber infrastructure, left the adversary unable to mount either a battlefield counterattack or an effective media campaign. This operation achieved far more than de-escalation; it fundamentally recalibrated Pakistan's regional and global standing.

The global reaction was nothing short of extraordinary – analysts and experts were left speechless, signaling their recognition of tactical excellence via dropped microphones and standing ovations. This conflict was not a typical war of aggression but a calculated response to check unnecessary hostility and decisively counter the adversary. This war became a showcase of moral righteousness rather than political positioning, not who is left, but who is right. The implications, extending far beyond regional dominance, reach into the realm of strategic and logistical mastery on a global scale. In an era defined by asymmetric threats, if peace could be pursued with the same strategic urgency traditionally reserved for war, the outcomes would be starkly different, taking the region towards peace, stability, and prosperity.

Will Pakistan work with an anticipatory strategy now? Will it be good for a nation to continuously live under the stress of attacks or will Pakistan utilise its strength in technology, its youth bulge and its digital infrastructure to give it strength, not only on the military front but in the social economic, and educational arenas as well. All the markers that had previously constrained Pakistan in literacy and health measures can now leverage technological advancement to achieve transformative progress.

Pakistan, therefore, will need to transition from a reactive posture and create a new national security paradigm, built around not just defence, but also digital sovereignty, technological capability, economic agility and institutional adaptability. It is time to elevate resilience from a policy slogan to a statecraft doctrine.

The objective would be best served by establishing a National Innovation and Security Council to function as a cross-sectoral platform, uniting defence planners, technology leaders, academia and industry. The mandate, however, must be to strengthen national capacity in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, satellite systems, and infrastructure protection. The global examples are instructive – the US Department of Defense now taps the Silicon Valley for disruptive solutions through its Defense Innovation Unit; China has long blurred the lines between commercial technology and strategic dominance. All these have charted the way towards better border security and national vision.

The argument now enters my home ground, which is ‘investment’ – the most significant deciding factor in the development and upscaling of education, enterprise, and opportunity for any nation. And for that, we will need to abandon the survivalist, aid-dependent mindset and adopt an investment-led, export-driven growth model. We will need to understand that regulatory consistency, tax reform, industrial modernisation and startup facilitation are not economic policy items alone; they are instruments of sovereignty.

The private sector (often sidelined in security discourse), can be repositioned as a strategic partner. Pakistan’s logistics, data, energy, fintech and manufacturing sectors hold capabilities that, if mobilised, could directly bolster national resilience. Public-private partnerships should no longer be confined to development rhetoric; they must become security architecture.

Whether it is adaptive governance structures, a collaborative approach for socio-economic planning, or a military paradigm for state security, we must replace the woven conflict in our fabric with an embedded resilience into every layer of the state function – from foreign policy to financial regulation. The goal must be to make aggression unthinkable, not just by deterring force, but by becoming so agile, so technologically equipped, and so economically grounded that no adversary can find strategic value in confrontation. Peace must be engineered through design, investment, and relentless innovation.

“Be where your enemy is not”, said Sun Tzu, perhaps the most profound military planner in global history. And I think Pakistan proved this to be true this time. But Tzu also advocated for intelligence gathering. Given its complex security environment and resource constraints, Tzu's principles offer valuable guidance for Pakistan. Prioritising knowledge gathering and strategic planning over costly military buildups, focusing on diplomatic and economic tools to resolve conflicts before they escalate to warfare, and developing asymmetric capabilities that leverage their strengths rather than competing in areas where adversaries hold advantages.

Tzu’s emphasis on speed, flexibility and avoiding prolonged conflicts resonates particularly well with Pakistan's need to maintain regional stability while managing limited resources across multiple security challenges. Our security strategy should be more cerebral than muscular, using alliances, information warfare and strategic patience to achieve national objectives. As for war, let me reinforce Russel’s predicted annihilation as a war outcome by quoting Einstein here: "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

The writer is a public policy advocate and business strategist. He is also a former minister for investment and chairman of the Board of Investment. He tweets @MAzfarAhsan