Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Pakistan’s foreign policy challenges over the past eight decades stem directly from its civil–military imbalance. The military employs a narrative of existential threat from all sides to strengthen its domestic dominance. Using ontological security theory, post-structuralist discourse theory, and the concept of ‘fantasy’, this study critically examines the narratives crafted by Pakistan’s ruling elites, particularly the military, since the country’s inception. The analysis reveals a pervasive ‘siege mentality’ narrative that fosters anxiety and a sense of insecurity among the populace. Ongoing tensions along Pakistan’s eastern and western borders are portrayed as necessitating tight domestic control, reinforced by fantasies depicting the military as the nation’s sole protector against external threats. Drawing on a range of primary data, this book demonstrates how this narrative legitimizes the military’s predominant influence over foreign and domestic policy and justifies a disproportionately large defence budget, primarily benefiting the military elite while much of society remains impoverished, malnourished, and undereducated. Decades of poorly managed foreign policy, driven by a strategy of ‘controlled chaos’, have trapped the military and the nation in a cycle of damaging consequences.</jats:p>