Pakistan’s leaders may speak hard, but the war with India is the last thing Pakistani want

Armed convoys are rumbleing towards the border between Pakistan and India. Fighter slices in the sky. The TV screen is filled with warnings of coming conflicts. The state leaders vow to respond decisively to any military action.

But the weary Pakistani public places regard war as the last thing the country needs after the drums of Pakistan’s challenge declaration as tensions against India broke out.

The gap between official conversations and civilian exhaustion shows a country is striving for deep vulnerability. Economic difficulties and political resignation courses in daily life.

On university campuses and living rooms, dialogue is less aware of battles and boundaries, and talks more about inflation, unemployment, a political system that feels clouded by unrepresentative and uncertainty in the future.

“It disturbs me,” said Tehseen Zahra, a 21-year-old college student in Islamabad, a terrorist attack in India-controlled Kashmir, which has struck a long-term hatred between India and Pakistan.

“I know leaders want to show strength,” she added. “But it feels too much to talk about war. We’ve already had so many problems. We need peace, not more trouble.”

She said buying groceries alone was a pressure on her family, with prices rising 30% each year in recent years. “They talk a lot, but we don’t see much change. It feels like they don’t understand what people are going through,” she said.

Even among those who insist on patriotism, the country’s great challenges are recognized.

“The country is much weaker today due to economic struggles and political turmoil,” said Inamullah, a 25-year-old student in Islamabad.

Despite this, Pakistan remains resilient. On social media, memes mock the idea of ​​war – often joked among people who many Pakistanis consider India warm – a dark form of humor is widely circulated, which many view as a coping mechanism.

“Yes, yes,” said Javeria Shahzad, a psychotherapist in the eastern city of Lahore. “But it’s also a distraction.”

Ms. Shahzad said that over the past few years, as political repression liberties shrank, she has seen despair among her clients and that the country has been experiencing one of its worst economic crises for decades. “People are getting very anxious,” she said.

The military has long played a central role in Pakistani life, not only defending the country’s borders, but also affecting the politics behind the scenes. Traditionally, it has a deep public loyalty and often becomes a united force during national crises, including repeated wars with India.

In the last major outbreak between the two countries, militants killed dozens of Indian security forces in 2019, while passion was sparked on both sides of the border, and the Pakistani military’s holdings of public sentiment remain strong.

Nowadays, this emotion has become more complicated.

Although expressions of loyalty to the army persist, they are often suppressed by frustration and anger. The political unrest in which Imran Khan removed Imran Khan as prime minister in 2022, and the subsequent total repression of supporters – left scars in society.

Mr. Khan was once favored by military institutions, and he stood out from the general and was dismissed. Since then, his thousands of supporters have been sentenced to jail and many party leaders have been forced to develop flaws or go underground.

“The respect, love, ownership of the masses has been weakened,” said Mohsin Leghari, who served as provincial government minister during Mr. Khan’s administration. He added: “Everyone knows someone who is abused.”

Mr Khan’s former MP, Aaliya Hamza, has been sentenced to jail and tortured and arrested by police, and said the military now risked losing the public support needed in a time of national crisis.

“What happens if you don’t have public support?” she asked.

Ms Hamza argued that Mr Khan (even if imprisoned) should be included in the national dialogue, an idea that the current opposition politician is also surfaced.

So far, the government has hardly reached out to help.

The relationship between Pakistan Army Chief Syed Asim Munir and Khan remains confrontational. General Munier served as Director General of the powerful Service Intelligence Agency during the 2019 crisis between Pakistan and India. Mr. Khan removed him a few months later and opposed his appointment as head of the Army.

Analysts describe General Munier as a tough training in India, whose leadership style is shaped by his military intelligence background. Critics believe his tenure matches the military’s dominance over Pakistan’s political landscape, limiting the pathways of dissent and dialogue.

The political division in Pakistan is unstable.

Pakistan’s western border remains turbulent, with armed groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban fighters stepping up attacks. Pakistani security forces said this week that they killed 54 militants in two nights of operation to repel infiltration near the Afghan border. In the Southwest, low-level separatist insurgents have been slowing down for years and have recently become increasingly deadly.

The country’s economic challenges will only deepen anxiety. The government recently received another bailout from the International Monetary Fund, with officials providing assurances to the tired public. But for many Pakistanis, the promised economic transformation feels far and slowly.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the economic impact of tensions with India “will not help” the country’s fragile recovery.

For many, the struggle for and the fear of armed conflict feels like part of the same burden now. Pain is particularly severe in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

In Neelum Valley, the once-a-time tourist destination town of Keran is now empty. The hotel is very quiet. Residents say tourists have stopped since the terrorist attacks on India’s Kashmir border.

Raja Amjad, who runs the tourism industry, said authorities have not imposed a formal ban on tourists, but it is almost unnecessary.

“People don’t want to take risks,” he said. “No one comes.”

In Athmaqam, 40-year-old Saadia Bibi, near a small town called control of Kashmir, has cleared a bunker behind her house.

“The shooting hasn’t started yet, but it can be shown at any time,” she said. “I’m ready for the kids.”

Across the country, many young Pakistanis will only leave hope.

“In fact, most of us are trying to be independent in a suffocating country,” said Zara Khan, 31. “We don’t have enough resources. The job market is sad. Raising a family is a distant dream.”

“It’s so bleak to stay here,” she added.

Jalaluddin Mughal Report from Muzaffarabad, Kashmir.