Pak Army Admits Terror is Enemy No. 1

ISLAMABAD: After focusing on the perceived danger from India for decades, the Pakistan army has made a paradigm shift by describing homegrown militant groups and internal dangers as the biggest threat to the country's security in its new military doctrine.

Eleven years after it became involved in the US-led war against terrorism, the Pakistan army has introduced changes its operational priorities for the first time, and the new doctrine describes the ongoing guerrilla war in the tribal belt and along the western border and bomb attacks by militant groups as the greatest threat.

The activities of Taliban fighters in the restive tribal regions and unabated terrorist attacks on government installations are posing a "real threat" to security, media on Thursday quoted the new doctrine as saying.

The doctrine does not specifically link the threat from homegrown militancy to any sort of shift from the Pakistan army's earlier focus on India. However, security analysts like Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood acknowledged that it amounted to a paradigm shift.

He said India had always been perceived as Pakistan's enemy No. 1 before the publication of the new doctrine. Pakistan's preparations and weapons were always meant for India but for the first time, Islamabad had admitted that the real threat was emanating internally, he said.

PTI