Pakistan, June 17 -- A recent media briefing by a senior security official offered a useful window into Pakistan's evolving security doctrine, emphasising how diplomacy, deterrence, military outreach and economic protection now sit inside a single strategic frame in Islamabad.

The clearest example is the ongoing peace process between the US and Iran, with a framework ready to be signed on Friday. Pakistan's mediation, described by security sources as a war won without being fought, cannot be emphasised enough. Nor can the role played by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, the coordination between the civil and military leadership, and the support of key Muslim partners be overlooked.

Pakistan's motives were never narrow. A...