Fighting India Helps Revive the Pakistani Military’s Popularity

Pakistan has been mired for years in overlapping political, economic and security crises. But right now, it is feeling like a winner.

Its government has declared victory in Pakistan’s most expansive military clash with India in more than 50 years. Political parties and ordinary Pakistanis have staged rallies to celebrate the armed forces’ performance.

In analysts’ eyes, the four-day fight was closer to a draw. Pakistan suffered some blows it cannot hide. But by holding its own against its more powerful neighbor, it has for now pushed its dire problems into the background. A renewed, if fragile, public confidence in the state and in the military, Pakistan’s most dominant institution, has begun to emerge.

“It feels like we’ve won something. We’re not a failed state,” said Hafeez Siddiqui, a bank accountant in Karachi, the country’s largest city. “At least the military proved it’s still capable of the job it is meant to do.”

A few weeks ago, public sentiment was markedly different. A weary nation worried that a war with India would only add to its mounting troubles.

Pakistan has been racked by political polarization since the ouster in 2022 of Prime Minister Imran Khan — whose rise and fall were both believed to be supported by military generals — and his subsequent imprisonment. The legitimacy of the current government, which took power last year after an election widely viewed as manipulated by the military, remains contested.