DND Special Report
Modern history considers Greek Philosophers Homer, Thucydides, Chinese thinker Sun Tzu and Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist laid the foundations of strategic thought on military power.
Although Homer wrote poetry rather than formal military theory, his epic ‘The Iliad’ is regarded as the earliest strategic text in Western civilization. Homer believed that a state cannot survive without force, and that the honor of force is essential to society. His writings suggest that diplomacy is integral, even during conflict. These ideas formed the intellectual roots later systematized by Sun Tzu, Thucydides, and Clausewitz.
Military history testifies that ‘Strength without wisdom leads to ruin’. As Sun Tzu stated: “He who knows when to fight and when not to fight will be victorious.” Homer and Sun Tzu explain the relationship between wisdom and brute force. Homer, through the character of Achilles, illustrates how uncontrolled rage weakens the Greek cause; Achilles’ emotional excess nearly leads to defeat. Homer also promotes negotiation during war and advances the idea that winning without fighting is supreme.
The teachings of these philosophers convey a clear message: tactical superiority without strategic restraint leads to defeat. This message was followed by Pakistan during the Pakistan–India conflict. Pakistan’s military leadership repeatedly communicated that it exercised restraint; otherwise, Pakistan could have inflicted far greater damage on the Indian Air Force. Despite possessing the capability and opportunity to destroy more than forty Indian fighter jets, Pakistan limited its response, destroying only eight, as strategic restraint remained the guiding principle.
Pakistan, during Marka-e-Haq, demonstrated its belief in deterrence rather than conquest, positioning itself as a stabilizer for peace and security in the region. Pakistan’s policy of avoiding escalation despite provocation elevated COAS Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the “Man of the Year”, whose leadership not only inflicted a decisive defeat on India but also projected him as a global peacemaker who averted a full-scale war between two nuclear states. As Homer warned against emotional retaliation, Pakistan fought and prevailed without indulging in war hysteria. The leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir not only defended the homeland but also gained moral authority, as defensive wars historically carry greater legitimacy.
Pakistan’s military, through Marka-e-Haq, earned international legitimacy due to its defensive posture and Pakistan positioned itself as a power seeking stability rather than domination, thereby gaining significant diplomatic space in global forums.
In 2025, several foreign writers commenting on Marka-e-Haq testified that Pakistan’s military leadership understood that unchecked military passion undermines greater objectives. Pakistan’s military diplomacy reflects Clausewitzian restraint, emphasizing that military leadership must engage foreign militaries, diplomats, and institutions, prioritize strategic communication, and align military action with state policy rather than impulsive escalation. This restraint strengthened Pakistan’s military-to-military engagements and defense diplomacy with regional and global powers. Since Marka-e-Haq, many states have praised the professionalism and discipline of the Pakistan Army, noting that ethical conduct served as strategic capital during the conflict. Consequently, Pakistan has received offers for alliances and military partnerships based on balanced relations across blocs and strategic partnerships beyond traditional alignments.
During Marka-e-Haq, Pakistan Army’s media management during the conflict clearly communicated red lines to the global media, avoided reckless signaling, and emphasized peace and stability over triumphalism.
During the conflict, Pakistan’s ultimate message was that the greatest military strength lies not in destruction, but in knowing when restraint better serves the state. Pakistan’s evolving military diplomacy focused on deterrence, legitimacy, alliances, and dialogue, echoes Homeric wisdom and places Pakistan within a continuous strategic tradition stretching from ancient Troy to contemporary geopolitics.
Military Diplomacy: Historical Perspectives
The use of armed forces and defense institutions as instruments of foreign policy to advance national interests without resorting to conflict forms the foundation of successful military diplomacy. High-level military exchanges, defense cooperation agreements, joint exercises, training programs, and peacekeeping missions are key tools of military diplomacy. Unlike traditional diplomacy conducted solely by civilian diplomats, Pakistan’s military diplomacy operates at the intersection of security, politics, and international relations, serving as a stabilizing instrument in an increasingly complex global environment. Military alliances and defense pacts remain central to territorial security. Since World War II, military diplomacy has become a critical component of international relations, with major powers using defense alliances, overseas bases, military aid, and training missions to expand influence and contain adversaries without direct confrontation. In the post-Cold War era, military diplomacy evolved further, emphasizing peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism cooperation, and capacity building in response to changing security threats.
The Man of the Global Military Diplomacy 2025
Under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan is consolidating and building alliances to prevent wars and maintain a balance of power among rival states.
For Pakistan, military diplomacy now plays a vital role in achieving both strategic and economic objectives. Strategically, it enhances deterrence, builds trust among partner states, improves interoperability, and contributes to regional stability. Economically, military diplomacy supports national development by facilitating defense trade, joint production, and technology transfer. This defense cooperation paves the way for broader economic partnerships, infrastructure projects, and investment flows. Stability achieved through military cooperation also creates a secure environment essential for trade, energy security, and regional connectivity initiatives.
Emerging as a middle power (as recently noted by the Financial Times), Pakistan’s military diplomacy projects influence, safeguards sovereignty, and diversifies foreign relations. In an era marked by hybrid warfare, great-power competition, and shifting geopolitical alignments, military diplomacy has become an indispensable tool for advancing Pakistan’s strategic interests while contributing to regional and global peace.
Over the year, Pakistan’s military diplomacy has been active, pragmatic, and interest-driven, focusing on regional stability, strategic autonomy, and diversification of partnerships beyond traditional allies. In an increasingly multipolar world, Field Marshal Asim Munir has positioned the Pakistan Army as a key diplomatic actor, complementing civilian foreign policy, particularly in areas where security, counterterrorism, and defense cooperation intersect. Rather than bloc politics, he has demonstrated the skills of a “multi-aligner” (as described by the Financial Times), maintaining working relationships with the United States, China, Russia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa simultaneously.
Continuous military-level engagements with neighbors and regional stakeholders helped Pakistan avoid isolation despite political and economic challenges.
Under his leadership, Pakistan managed multi-polar relations with major powers, expanded defense cooperation, enhanced defense exports, rehabilitated its international image, and projected itself as a disciplined, professional, and reliable security partner.
What Is Needed in the Future?
Military diplomacy cannot fully substitute for economic diplomacy or internal political stability. Gains remain largely tactical rather than strategic and require sustained civilian-military coordination to convert security goodwill into long-term economic and political benefits. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s military diplomacy has succeeded in stabilizing external relations, preventing diplomatic isolation, and preserving strategic relevance during a challenging internal period. While not a cure-all, it has provided Pakistan with diplomatic space, credibility, and leverage in a rapidly changing global order.
Year 2025 showed strong emphasis on military diplomacy, particularly with Middle East, Africa, Eurasia, United States and Europe. GHQ emerged as a hub of strategic engagement, reflecting Pakistan Army’s expanding diplomatic footprint under Field Marshal Asim Munir. Hereunder the list of foreign engagements and interactions of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir during 2025:
Foreign visits of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir
January 2025 Saudi Arabia: Meetings with senior Saudi defence and military leadership.
February 2025
United Arab Emirates: Discussing training cooperation, defence collaboration, and regional stability.
March 2025
China: Focus on defence cooperation, CPEC security, regional security, and military modernization.
April 2025
Türkiye: Meetings with Turkish Armed Forces leadership. Emphasis on defence production, joint training, and strategic defence collaboration.
May 2025
United States: Military-to-military engagement with senior US defence officials. Discussions on counterterrorism cooperation, regional security, and Afghanistan.
June 2025
Qatar: Focus on defence ties and regional security issues.
July–August 2025
Russia: Discussions on counterterrorism, regional security, and expanding military cooperation.
Important meetings at GHQ
January 2025
Lt Gen Said Chanegriha Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army of Algeria
Lieutenant General Qamarul Hasan, Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of Bangladesh’s Armed Forces.
March 2025
Gen Carsten Breuer Chief of Defence, Germany, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba Chief of Defence Forces, Uganda
April 2025
Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Qatar
May 2025
Gen Michael Erik Kurilla Commander, U.S. CENTCOM
June 2025
Gen Musa Avsever Chief of General Staff, Turkish Land Forces
July 2025
Lt Gen Bakar Jassim Al-Sabah Deputy Chief of General Staff, Kuwait Armed Forces
August 2025
Gen Phan Van Giang Minister of National Defence, Vietnam
September 2025
Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council (Head of State)
October 2025
Lt Gen Ivan Gavrilov Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Russian Armed Forces
November 2025
Gen Charles Brown Jr. Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
December 2025
Gen Romeo Brawner Jr. Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
References
- Homer, The Iliad. Trans. E.V. Rieu. Penguin Classics.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Trans. Samuel B. Griffith. Oxford University Press.
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War. Penguin Classics.
- Carl von Clausewitz, On War. Princeton University Press.
- Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: A History. Oxford University Press.
- Michael Howard, War in European History. Oxford University Press.
- Financial Times, analyses on Pakistan as an emerging middle power (2024–2025).
- Pakistan Army ISPR briefings and official statements on Marka-e-Haq.
- Hew Strachan, Clausewitz’s On War: A Biography. Atlantic Books.
- Geoffrey Till, Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century (for military diplomacy and restraint concepts)
