Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a free hand to the Chiefs of Bharatiya Armed Forces to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. PM Modi has given complete operational freedom to the Armed Forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the necessary and sufficient response to Pakistan and to those who support terrorism. More meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), the entire Cabinet meeting and internal consultations are ongoing. The aim is to give a befitting response to Pakistan and be fully prepared to deal with the threat from Pakistan. PM Modi has exhibited great maturity and tact befitting Bharat’s stature as a responsible global power.
Dragon’s Support
This time around, China has shown support for Pakistan and there are reports that it has supplied military hardware and missiles to Pakistan recently. Bharat is already embroiled with China on our Northern front in the Ladakh region. In addition, we have strained relations with Bangladesh and our Eastern flank is also vulnerable. Thus, Bharat has to secure vulnerabilities before taking any stern action against Pakistan. Also, the internal security dynamics of the country have to be fully stabilised. That is why, the Home Secretary chaired a meeting with the heads of the para military forces. The State police and intelligence agencies too have to keep close watch on the internal security, particularly in the border States.
In the Army, we are taught to first understand and visualise the enemy’s design of battle, his intentions, capabilities, vulnerabilities and likely course of action. Only after full understanding of the enemy’s design, our own response strategy is made at the tactical, operational and strategic level. Since the Pahalgam terror attack has the full imprint of the Pakistan Army behind it, it can be assumed that the Pakistani establishment had planned its military strategy and the future course of action. It was evident from the way Pakistan quickly mobilised troops on the Line of Control (LC) after the terror attack, increased surveillance along the International Border (IB), flew Air Force sorties and beefed-up overall preparation to deal with Bharat militarily. Thus, Bharat has to recalibrate the military option to deal with Pakistan now.
Pakistan would also raise the nuclear bogey with Bharat. Bharat and Bharatiyas should not worry about this empty threat from Pakistan. There are enough options available with Bharat to teach Pakistan a lesson, well below the nuclear threshold. At the same time, Bharat should caution the world about an irresponsible Pakistan as a nuclear power. In due course, more international sanctions should be imposed against Pakistan, because it can misuse nuclear technology as a jihadi leverage. Bharatiya diplomacy now has to work in an overdrive mode to discredit Pakistan, both for being a sponsor of terrorism and for raising the nuclear bogey as the first response to any threat.
Avoiding War With Bharat
In the given scenario, Pakistan’s national objective would be to avoid conventional war with Bharat at all costs. Bharat enjoys a major combat edge over Pakistan in the conventional war domain and thus Pakistan would not like a repeat of 1971 war. Pakistan expects a major retaliation from Bharat and would like Bharat to keep it below the threshold of the conventional war. Pakistan would prefer to keep the military engagement with Bharat restricted to the LC. This way, Pakistan would like to keep the Jammu & Kashmir issue alive, directly or indirectly. Towards this aim, Pakistan has continuously violated the Ceasefire Agreement with India on the LC, right from April 22 onwards. Bharat has given fitting and even more aggressive response by its superior firepower. Since Pakistan has suspended the Shimla Agreement with India on April 25, the Ceasefire Fire Agreement is automatically null and void. Thus, more options are available across LC for Bharat.
Twin Objectives Failed
Unlike the previous terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir, the Pahalgam attacks specifically targeted Hindus, with two-fold aim. One was to assert the so-called Islamist superiority and the second was to instigate major communal riots, in most parts of Bharat. It is to the credit of the Modi Government that Pakistan failed to achieve both the aims. Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented anger against the terror attack. The Jammu & Kashmir Assembly denounced the terror attack in most unequivocal terms and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah exhibited political maturity by owning moral responsibility for the loss of innocent lives. Also, in spite of the massive outrage and anger within the country, the communal harmony has not been disturbed in Bharat. Thus, Bharatiyas have shown a national solidarity of epic proportions, reflecting our evolution as a mature democracy.
Neutralise Pak Army
With such understanding and under a confident leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Bharat should now look at altering the power structure in Pakistan, which boasts of terrorism as a state policy. In Pakistan, it is the Pakistan Army which rules the state through a proxy Government. As it is, half of Pakistan’s existence as a country has been under martial law. Pakistan Army has lost all the four wars with Bharat, in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil War. Yet it is unbelievable that the Pakistan Army still calls the shots in the country, that too with major unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa threatening another breakup of the country. Thus, Pakistan is at its weakest internally. Therefore, Bharat stands the best opportunity to neutralise the Pakistan Army for once and all. While some kinetic action against Pakistan in the immediate time frame is needed, Bharat has to plan long term defeat of Pakistan by displaying the strategic patience commensurate with its stature. Bharat has the civilisational edge and global support to take on Pakistan, but in a calibrated and confident manner, by exploiting its superior political, diplomatic and military advantage. When the Pakistan Army is disgraced and discredited in defeat, one major part of the problem would be over. The next step would be to convince the Pakistani people that their country stands no chance to develop economically if it continues to pursue arms race with Bharat.
Need Patience & Perseverance
As a great nation with deep civilisational roots and strategic culture inherited from Chanakya, Bharat has to exhibit patience and perseverance. There are no runners up in war and thus to defeat the evil designs of Pakistan, particularly the Pakistan Army, it is going to take some time and a great amount of preparation. This war of Bharat against Pakistan is more of a national duty. The world, by and large supports us, but we Bharatiyas have to actually fight with what we have. A united Bharat, with strategic patience, rock solid leadership and highest resolve can easily defeat Pakistan. Our conquest is likely to give Pakistanis a genuine democratic structure, which believes in peaceful coexistence with Bharat.
