Pakistan Military has used the mantle of being the custodian of ‘Nazariya-e-Pakistan’ (idea of Pakistan) as causa principalis to permeate into the societal fabric of Pakistan and impose its strategic culture on Pakistan, the state.  While externally it may be revisionist, internally Pakistan Military would prefer to maintain status quo ante. This book is a critique on Pakistan’s military dominance and how the army’s grip on national ideology, politics and society has persisted. Pakistan Military has shaped a revisionist, anti-India posture by manipulating the feudal elite, the political satraps, theological cronies, the judiciary and the bureaucrats through a ‘carrot and stick’ regimen by the Deep State. The Pakistan Military today controls the trajectory of Pakistan and cleaving the strategic culture of the state from that of the military is virtually impossible. The revisionist mindset of Pakistan is a direct manifestation of this confluence, wherein despite the internal fractures and fluctuations, Pakistan’s inimical posture to India has remained a constant. Pakistan Military’s ‘numero uno’ status took a hit on 09 May 23 with the riots targeting the military establishment, heralding the ‘fall from grace’. The cleaving of the military from the people is a ‘strategic shock’ second only to the creation of Bangladesh. As internal dissent grows and its hold weakens, the book examines the strategic implications for South Asia and proposes a multi-dimensional response to unhinge the military’s central role in Pakistan’s trajectory.

Harsh Vardhan Singh is a distinguished alumnus of Mayo College and the National Defence Academy. With nearly three decades of military service, he has operated in some of the most volatile regions—Jammu & Kashmir, Eastern Ladakh—and has contributed to UN Peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone. His extensive international training includes prestigious courses in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Harsh has served as an instructor at India`s premier military institutions, including the Indian Military Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and Mechanised Infantry Centre & School.

Currently pursuing a PhD in International Relations from Manipal University, Harsh is driven by a relentless quest to understand the complex enigma that is Pakistan—an obsession he has pursued for over 30 years. His debut book, a collection of essays on war fighting and leadership was published in 2024. This is his second book, a powerful adaptation of his award-winning thesis at the National Defence College.