The Pakistani military’s popularity has surged in recent weeks, particularly after the recent clashes with India. The four-day clashes have been widely perceived in Pakistan as a victory that people believe only became possible due to the military’s firm response to the Indian attacks last month.
Pakistan’s civil-military equation has entered a new phase with the military’s image restored and public sentiment firmly behind it. A recent survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan found that 93 percent of respondents felt their view of the military had improved following the clashes with India.
Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir was promoted to the rank of field marshal following the country’s conflict with India. The government said that the decision was made in “recognition of the strategic brilliance and courageous leadership that ensured national security and decisively defeated the enemy.”
Billboards with pictures of Munir’s face now tower over cities and towns across Pakistan. His images have been put up on lamp posts and bridges, with some banners reading: “You are our savior!”
This sudden shift in the fortunes of the Pakistani military concerning its approval ratings follows a couple of challenging years.
The last two years saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, target the military leadership for allegedly seeking to marginalize them.
In recent years, the military’s role in Pakistan has predominantly been viewed in a domestic context rather than as a means to counter external threats, especially from India.
However, that changed on the night of May 7, when India carried out air strikes inside Pakistan and in response, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reportedly downed several Indian aircraft. The air force’s performance that night surprised not only observers abroad but also Pakistan’s decision makers.
“You have not only changed the mindset of the world but also the equation in the region and in the world,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said while addressing a gathering of PAF officers during a visit to the airbase at Kamra following the ceasefire with India.
Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is visiting the United States to advocate for Pakistan’s position regarding the recent conflict with India, said that Pakistan could have shot down 20 Indian aircraft but chose restraint.
These developments, when seen together in the context of how the four-day clashes concluded, have arguably allowed the general public to reimagine the military differently. More Pakistanis seem to accept the idea that a powerful military is crucial to the country’s survival and defense against internal and external threats.
Moreover, the clashes with India have boosted Pakistanis’ perception that its armed forces are professional and capable of defending the country. Interestingly, the military’s performance during the recent conflict has even created room for criticizing those political forces that previously criticized the army. Pakistan’s social media landscape is filled with views in which commentators, influencers, and observers now say that the politicization of the army could hurt national defense.
Pakistanis across the board, including Islamist parties, are celebrating the military’s performance. This has created a lot of goodwill for the armed forces.
In a recent interaction with students and teachers in Islamabad, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told students: “You used to be told [by critics of the army] that they [the army] do not do their job; now ask them, has the army fulfilled its duty or not?” He encouraged the students to reflect on past narratives of ill will against the military. “Shouldn’t you now hold accountable those who used to speak against your soldiers and officers?” Chaudhry asked. “Who were they to speak against the very people defending this nation?”
The military’s popularity surge does not appear to be a mere mood swing. The development can be expected to reshape Pakistan’s power structure in the coming weeks and months.
The development does not bode well for Khan’s PTI, which has been trying to mobilize people through its anti-military political rhetoric. Oddly, Khan has asked his followers to prepare for another nationwide protest movement. The announcement goes against the public mood in Pakistan, and even the PTI’s support base is questioning the timing and rationale behind the decision of their leader.
Going forward, it will not be easy for the PTI or any other political group to agitate against the army.
There is a lot of confidence in the establishment that was missing before the four-day conflict with India. People feel that there is a semblance of credibility in what the government is saying or trying to do on the domestic and foreign policy fronts. This essentially means that the civilian government backed by the military has also emerged stronger from the India-Pakistan conflict.
In Punjab province, which was at the forefront of the India-Pakistan conflict, support for the current civil-military regime seems stronger. It could allow the ruling parties to gain some of the vote banks they had lost to the PTI during the last general election.
A recent by-election in Punjab’s Sialkot district was won by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N). According to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), a Pakistani-based election observer group, the PML-N’s vote share rose from 41 percent in 2024 to 59 percent in the May 2025 by-election.
Going forward, political dissent against the civil-military could carry greater risks. Moreover, the world is actively engaging with the civilian government in Pakistan, indicating that questions about the regime’s lack of credibility are dissipating. The India-Pakistan clashes have given the civil-military regime unexpected strength in navigating both domestic and foreign challenges.