This article examines the dominance of the nation-state centred model in Pakistani social thought and practice. Breaking out of traditional accounts of strategy, security and sovereignty and the lenses from which Pakinstani social and political space is currently constituted, its intention is to create alternative spaces for reflection and action. The article begins by engaging the debate on the changing nature of what constitutes appropriate knowledge in Pakistan. It then explores the links between culture, language and politics, before analysing the hegemony of the international relations strategic model of knowledge. The article concludes with a discussion of ways out of the strategic discourse, concentrating on the pivotal role of Pakistan's emerging social movements.