ABSTRACT
States are rarely as insecure as they think they are, and trying to reduce their perceived insecurity only makes them worse off. Pakistan’s national security policy is based on three premises: Fear of India, Optimism about Allied Co-operation and Optimism about its Military Capabilities. Pakistan’s leadership — and indeed a very large percentage of Pakistan’s population — is convinced that India has never reconciled itself to the partition of British India into two states in August 1947. In fact, India has always reacted forcefully and with vigor to Pakistani incursions. In 1974, India exploded a ‘peaceful nuclear device’ called the Smiling Buddha in Pokran, near the border with Pakistan. Pakistan has always expected its allies to bail it out of difficult situations, with weapons, men, forces, and international support. Pakistan has consistently misread the intentions of patron states such as the United States and China and allies such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Gulf Kingdoms, and Turkey in the Muslim world.
