Diplomatist Magazine DIplomatist September 2018 | Page 27

SPOTLIGHT
not change its dominant military doctrine or strategic outlook
because it remains convinced it can walk the line between its
master narrative of compliance with US regional objectives
and public denial of hosting terror groups.
What this means is that Pakistan remains deeply insecure
about its own identity.
Having openly sought to procure a nuclear umbrella to
secure its doctrines of asymmetry against India, Pakistan
turned inward and islamised a militant identity. No longer
forced to adapt to the threat of a larger foe of external invasion
that would compel it to disarm, it instead openly sought jihadi
proxies. Even its defeat at Kargil became both a recruiting tool
and an alibi for domestic terror groups to seek independence
from its master. The more the state came to rely on jihadis,
the less