It benefits financially, by taking away a lion's share of Pakistani government spending. It benefits politically by staying dominant at home and in the region. And finally, the military benefits strategically by not being asked tough questions as it has to deal with enemies at its borders.

Until these groups fulfill such criteria for the military, it has no incentive to act against them, but Pakistan should know that the war economy it pushes for in the region has in the past caused havoc on Pakistani soil too, as we saw a sustained terror campaign by the Pakistani Taliban from 2007, until very recently that killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis, including its security personnel and made Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world.