The primary flaw of Pakistan’s counterterrorism policy, however, is that it is defined
and driven by the military and that institution’s strategic objectives. It is easier to
use the military option than to address the problem of changing the basic narrative and socioeconomic conditions that drive militancy in the first place. The need to
create an alternative political narrative and change the mindset in Pakistan to
address those socioeconomic conditions is a far more critical issue, which receives
less attention than it deserves.