Bharat Should Now Target Pakistan’s Military Business In A Proactive Way

Operation Sindoor exposed Pakistan's military vulnerabilities. Now, Bharat must strategically target the economic stronghold of Pakistan's military—the Milbus. By disrupting these enterprises through economic, cyber, and diplomatic means, Bharat can weaken the foundations that support Pakistan's military dominance and foster long-term regional stability

In the wake of Operation Sindoor, a watershed moment that showcased Bharat’s resolve and tactical brilliance, the focus should now shift to targeting Pakistan’s most enduring strategic asset—its military business empire.

While the world’s gaze has often been fixated on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure and political instability, it is the sprawling, unregulated economic empire run by the Pakistan military that now emerges as both its lifeline and its Achilles’ heel. Operation Sindoor was not just a demonstration of military might; it was a calculated message. With surgical precision, Bharat’s armed forces dismantled multiple Pakistani military installations, including air defence systems and critical nuclear storage facilities.

This audacious strike, reportedly resulting in significant direct military losses and broader economic impact, sent shockwaves through Rawalpindi’s corridors of power. Renowned Austrian aerial warfare analyst and military historian Tom Cooper noted Pakistan’s glaring inability to protect even its nuclear assets, exposing the operational fragility beneath its bluster. Yet, while Operation Sindoor has been paused for now, Bharat must not let this opportunity slip. The question isn’t if Pakistan’s establishment will retaliate with another terror attack, but when and where. Bharat must now shift from reactive defence to proactive offence—by targeting the jugular of Pakistan’s establishment: its vast military-industrial complex, or Milbus.

The Milbus: Pakistan’s economic juggernaut

Pakistan’s military is not merely an instrument of defence; it is a commercial dinosaur. Sprawling across sectors from real estate to banking, manufacturing to agriculture, logistics to education, Pakistan’s Milbus rivals—and in some estimations, even surpasses—South Asia’s largest private conglomerates, including Bharat’s own Ambani and Adani empires. Estimates suggest that Pakistan’s military-run businesses generate annual revenues between $20–30 billion, with total assets possibly exceeding $50–100 billion.

At the heart of this empire are entities like the Fauji Foundation, Army Welfare Trust (AWT), Defence Housing Authorities (DHAs), National Logistics Cell (NLC), Frontier Works Organization (FWO), and Special Communications Organisation (SCO). These enterprises, often led by retired generals or senior serving officers on deputation, enjoy privileged access to government contracts, tax exemptions, and regulatory leniency. They control vast swathes of Pakistan’s commercial landscape—whether through Fauji Fertilizer’s significant presence in agriculture, DHAs’ dominance in urban real estate, or the NLC’s grip over logistics and infrastructure. The DHAs alone, which encompass prime real estate in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and other cities, likely generate substantial annual revenue, catering to both military elites and affluent civilians.

The fragile foundations of power

Behind this impressive economic façade lies a troubling reality. Pakistan’s Milbus is deeply entwined with the military’s political power. The economic dominance of the armed forces distorts Pakistan’s markets, stifles competition, and erodes civilian institutions. It perpetuates a cycle where economic and political power reinforce each other, creating an unaccountable military elite that undermines democracy and civilian authority.

Regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), already marginalized and restive, are further alienated as military-run businesses exploit local resources and labor while offering little in terms of regional development. In Balochistan and KPK, the military controls mining, logistics, and even local telecommunications through the SCO. A significant portion of Milbus revenue stems from regions plagued by conflict, poverty, and insurgency. Yet, these regions also offer Bharat a strategic opportunity.

Smugglers, long accustomed to moving goods across porous borders, can be leveraged to flood these areas with cheaper alternatives—especially from Iran and Afghanistan. Iranian cement, fertilizers, dairy, and cereals could erode the market share of Fauji enterprises, particularly in construction and agriculture, where price sensitivity is high.

Bharat’s strategic playbook: Economic disruption and beyond

The pause in Operation Sindoor should not be a lull in Bharat’s strategic engagement. Instead, it presents an opening to pivot from military strikes to economic warfare. Here’s how:

Flood Pakistan’s marginalised markets: Balochistan and KPK are ideal entry points. By collaborating with regional players, including Iran and Afghanistan, Bharat can facilitate the influx of cheaper goods such as cement, fertilizers, cereals, dairy, and even fuel—into these regions. The infrastructure for smuggling is already in place; it merely needs to be redirected to weaken Fauji businesses. Leverage the anti-Pakistan sentiment in these regions by repackaging these products in Afghanistan and Iran as Baloch and Pashtun products—the cover can be in the fact that these businesses are owned and run by Baloch and Pashtun nationals.

Exploit existing boycotts: Pakistan’s civil society has, on occasion, voiced opposition to military-run monopolies, particularly after crackdowns on protests and democratic movements. By encouraging and amplifying these boycotts—especially against Fauji Cement, Fauji Fertilizer, and Fauji Foods—Bharat can accelerate the erosion of Pakistan’s Milbus dominance.

Cyber and information warfare: Cyber disruptions targeting the digital infrastructure of military-owned businesses can cripple operations. Simultaneously, information campaigns highlighting corruption, land grabs, and the misallocation of public resources by military-run enterprises can stoke internal dissent and disillusionment.

Diplomatic maneuvers: Engaging global partners to impose targeted sanctions on Pakistan’s military-owned businesses—particularly those involved in opaque land acquisitions and resource exploitation—could constrain their access to international markets. This is especially pertinent as Pakistan’s economy teeters on the brink of insolvency, with dwindling foreign exchange reserves and soaring inflation.

The estimated impact on Milbus

If executed effectively, this multi-pronged strategy could impose significant financial losses on Pakistan’s military business empire:

Fauji Cement: A 20 per cent market share loss in Balochistan and KPK, amounting to $50–100 million annually, is plausible. In Sindh’s urban centres, where price-sensitive consumers abound, this could escalate to $200 million.

Fauji fertiliser: A 15–20 per cent market loss in Sindh and KPK—translating to $150–300 million—could be achieved by undercutting prices with Iranian imports.

Fauji foods: Cheaper Iranian dairy and cereals could erode $20–50 million in revenue, particularly in urban Sindh and Balochistan.

Fauji oil terminal: The smuggling of Iranian fuel, already rampant in Balochistan, could result in $50–100 million in annual losses.

In total, this approach could strip Fauji businesses of $270–650 million annually—5–10 per cent of their estimated revenue—undermining the military’s economic foundations and disrupting its patronage networks.

From passive defense to proactive offense

Bharat’s strategic calculus must evolve. Instead of merely responding to provocations, it must pre-emptively target the very structures that empower Pakistan’s establishment to perpetuate its cycle of terrorism and authoritarianism. By crippling Milbus, Bharat can weaken Pakistan’s military elite, embolden separatist forces, and tilt the balance of power in the region.

The endgame is clear: a Pakistan where the military no longer monopolizes economic and political power, and where terror proxies are starved of both financial and logistical support. For too long, Bharat has fought Pakistan’s establishment in the shadows. It is time to bring the battle to the heart of their empire—not just through military might, but by striking at the economic lifeblood that sustains their power.

Operation Sindoor was just the beginning. The next phase of Bharat’s grand strategy must be waged not with missiles alone, but with economic disruption, cyber tools, and information dominance. Only then can Bharat reshape the regional balance and secure a stable, prosperous future.

(The author is Founder of

My Startup TV)