The AMAN-25 naval exercise, conducted in February 2025, illustrated the contradiction of Pakistan showcasing its geopolitical aspirations amidst a significant economic downturn. To achieve long-term stability, Pakistan must redirect its attention from military symbolism to tackling the pressing economic challenges that jeopardize its future. Failing to make this transition will render military displays a hollow endeavor, exacerbating the disconnection with the populace and neglecting the core issues facing the nation.
The AMAN-25 naval exercise, held during 7–11 February 2025, exemplified the paradox of Pakistan’s display of its geopolitical ambitions while undergoing a severe economic crisis. Despite facing significant economic challenges, including inflation, unemployment, and dependence on external financial bailouts, Pakistan invested considerable resources into hosting a large-scale multinational military event. This exercise, aimed at enhancing maritime security and showcasing Pakistan’s regional leadership, highlighted the dissonance between the country’s military priorities and the urgent needs of its people. While the event served as a platform for diplomatic engagement with global powers, it exposed deep-rooted structural issues within Pakistan’s governance, where military prestige was prioritized over economic stability. The commentary critiques this emphasis on military grandeur, arguing that, unless accompanied by meaningful economic reforms, such spectacles would remain ineffective in addressing Pakistan’s deeper domestic challenges.
Introduction
Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise is a curious example of Pakistan trying to make its mark in the regional geopolitical theatre in an era marked by stark economic turmoil. This biennial event, attracting naval forces from over 60 countries, includes some of the world’s largest military powers—China, Russia, the United States, and Turkey. Ostensibly, a demonstration of Pakistan’s commitment to maritime security under the banner “Together for Peace,” the exercise simultaneously underscores a dissonant reality: a nation grappling with one of the most severe economic crises in its history is investing substantial resources into an elaborate military show. This contradiction lays bare the tension between the military ambitions of Pakistan’s ruling elite and the pressing economic needs of its citizens. At the heart of the paradox is Pakistan’s prolonged economic instability, exacerbated by external debt, foreign loans, and a shrinking industrial base. The country’s economic struggles are compounded by high inflation, depreciating currency, and alarming levels of poverty. Yet, despite these factors, the government pressed ahead with organizing one of the largest international military exercises in its history. These raises critical questions about Pakistan’s priorities— why allocate resources to a high-profile military event when the country’s fiscal health remains precarious?
The Nexus Between Military Prestige and Economic Decline
Pakistan’s economic condition is undeniably dire. A large portion of the nation’s budget is funneled into defence, a pattern that has deepened over time. Structural challenges like unemployment, industrial stagnation, and an overreliance on external financial assistance hinder economic growth. Yet, despite these struggles, the government has not scaled back on ambitious military projects. The decision to proceed with AMAN-25, despite the pressing economic crises, highlights a glaring disconnect between the military’s focus on international prestige and the grim realities faced by everyday Pakistanis. The exercise, which involved significant funding, represents an extension of Pakistan’s long-standing fixation with military power and geopolitical posturing, overshadowing more immediate concerns like economic stabilization or the provision of public services. This prioritization of military grandeur over economic well-being reflects an enduring pattern within Pakistan’s political landscape, where the military establishment has historically secured a dominant role in governance and decision-making. As military priorities take precedence, domestic welfare continues to languish. The investment in AMAN-25 becomes emblematic of this entrenched approach, which often sees the country’s international standing and defense capabilities given greater weight than the wellbeing of its people.
A Symbolic Exercise in Geopolitical Posturing
Pakistan’s official narrative around AMAN-25 emphasized its importance for regional security and international cooperation. The exercise was billed as a key moment for Pakistan to assert its relevance in global maritime affairs and solidify its position within the increasingly complex geopolitical landscape of the Indian Ocean.
By hosting such a prestigious event, Pakistan seeks to demonstrate its importance to both global and regional powers, particularly China, Russia, and the United States. However, this display of military prowess is not without its limitations. The Pakistan Navy, while formidable in certain respects, remains underdeveloped compared to other global naval forces. Despite the significant military investment, operational and technological gaps persist, undermining Pakistan’s ability to project sustained maritime power.
More fundamentally, the Navy’s focus on international exercises like AMAN-25 diverted popular attention away from more pressing national security concerns—particularly tensions with neighbouring India and Afghanistan and much of Pakistan’s defence strategy is directed towards them. The exercise also reveals Pakistan’s broader strategic interests. Hosting AMAN-25 provides an opportunity to engage with powerful nations like China and the United States. In particular, China’s growing influence in Pakistan—through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)— adds yet another layer of complexity to the exercise. AMAN-25 allows Pakistan to reinforce its ties with Beijing, further embedding the country within China’s regional maritime strategy. For Western nations, the exercise serves more as a diplomatic maneuver to maintain ties with Pakistan without necessarily endorsing its military ambitions or geopolitical direction.
Geostrategic Calculations and the Pragmatics of AMAN-25
The geopolitical calculations surrounding AMAN-25 reflect Pakistan’s broader ambition to remain relevant in an increasingly multipolar world. While the exercise allows for military cooperation with global powers, it also highlights the limits of Pakistan’s power projection. While Pakistan aims to maintain its standing as a strategic partner for both China and the West, the exercise does little to mitigate the internal challenges that continue to plague the country’s economic landscape. Pakistan’s growing reliance on China, coupled with persistent skepticism from Western powers, underscores the delicate balancing act the country is forced to perform in a shifting global order. Despite these engagements, Pakistan remains politically and economically fragile, with an overreliance on military exercises as a tool of diplomatic leverage. As Husain Haqqani argues in Pakistan Between Mosque and Military, Pakistan’s political and military trajectory has been shaped by an entrenched military establishment, which often prioritizes symbolic acts of strength over substantive reforms. This dynamic is particularly evident in the decision to host AMAN-25, even as the nation’s internal stability deteriorates.
A Paradoxical Prioritization
The most glaring irony of AMAN-25 lies in the fact that Pakistan’s military is preparing for a significant international military event while its economic situation continues to deteriorate. Amid a national crisis characterized by soaring inflation, high unemployment, and dwindling foreign reserves, the government’s focus on military prestige appears increasingly out of touch with the needs of the population. The decision to proceed with such a costly exercise at this juncture reflects a broader systemic issue within Pakistan’s governance system, where military ambitions consistently overshadow the pressing demands of domestic governance. Pakistan’s prioritization of defence over economic stability has long been a source of contention. As Ayesha Siddiqa points out in Military Inc., the military’s control over the country’s political and economic machinery has led to a concentration of resources in defence at the expense of necessary social and economic reforms. In the case of AMAN-25, this misplaced focus reveals a dangerous willingness to engage in symbolic acts of power while neglecting the urgent needs of the people.
A Hollow Display of Power
Ultimately, AMAN-25 may be seen as a fleeting moment to capture global attention, a temporary opportunity for Pakistan to project its strength and maritime capability on the world stage. Yet, beneath the surface, it remains an exercise in military domain— an effort to create an illusion of power that fails to address the systemic issues plaguing the country. In the absence of substantial economic reforms, Pakistan’s emphasis on military prestige will remain a hollow pursuit, undermining the nation’s long-term stability. The true challenge for Pakistan lies not in projecting its military might through spectacles like AMAN-25 but in recalibrating its priorities to focus on sustainable economic development. Without a focus on addressing the real economic crises at home, military exercises will only serve as temporary distractions— high-profile, yet ultimately ineffective, in resolving the country’s deeper structural issues. Pakistan’s future stability depends on a shift from displaying military grandeur to pragmatic governance, with a focus on the welfare of its people, not on temporary acts of international diplomacy.
Conclusion
To conclude, the AMAN-25 naval exercise highlights the stark contrast between Pakistan’s ambitions on the global stage and the severe economic challenges it faces at home. While the exercise successfully showcased Pakistan’s military strength and its role in international maritime security, it also revealed the underlying contradictions in the country’s governance system. Amidst an ongoing economic crisis— marked by soaring inflation, growing debt, and widespread poverty— the government’s decision to prioritize military prestige over addressing these urgent issues risks deepening public frustration. By focusing on events like AMAN-25 rather than implementing meaningful economic reforms, the government perpetuates a disconnect from the needs of its citizens. For Pakistan to secure long-term stability, it must shift its focus from military symbolism to addressing the critical economic issues that threaten its future. Without such a shift, the emphasis on military displays will remain an empty exercise, further alienating the population and failing to resolve the nation’s fundamental challenges.
*Dr Syed Eesar Mehdi is an Associate Research Fellow at International Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi, India. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at eesar.mehdi@gmail.com
