From Balakot to 2025: How Pakistan Shattered Strategic Myths

Pakistan is anything but a foregone conclusion!

For decades, Pakistan has been reduced to a collection of strategic clichés: a state prone to escalation, incapable of restraint, and reliant on outdated military logic. But what happens when reality cracks those narratives open? What if the state long portrayed as volatile proves to be the most calibrated actor in the room?

Strategic Myths Pakistan Has Broken

Below is a comparative breakdown of how Pakistan shattered persistent strategic myths during two defining crises: the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot standoff and the May 2025 crisis.

2019 was the first fracture. 2025 deepened it. And in that crack lies the space to rethink everything.

Anecdotal Snapshots:

• 2019: One Indian pilot, two Pakistani jets, and a message heard across capitals: This isn’t 1971.

• 2025: When the Rafale pilots returned, the runway lights were off and so was the myth of Indian air dominance.

Why These Myths Persist

• Because Pakistan is not expected to out-strategize.

• Because Western analysts often project intent without deeply reading the doctrine.

• Because restraint doesn’t make headlines.

• Because Pakistan’s silence is too often mistaken for absence.

These were not one-off performances. They were deliberate, rehearsed, and doctrinally sound. Pakistan anticipated it, adapted, and shaped the battlespace. Twice. If Pakistan shattered ten myths in two crises, what will it break next? And who is really unprepared for that future: Pakistan, or its adversaries?