POST OP-SINDOOR CHALLENGE OF COUNTERBALANCING JOINT EFFORTS OF PAKISTAN AND CHINA

India needs to be fully alert and prepared for a 'Two Front War' to proactively counter and contain the aggressive counterbalancing strategies jointly played by both Beijing and Islamabad

- ABHAY KRISHNA

Op SINDOOR, a significant and successful military action by India in response to the barbaric Pakistan-sponsored terror attack at Pahalgam resulting in the loss of 26 innocent lives, has altered the strategic landscape, necessitating re-evaluation of counterbalancing strategies by both Pakistan and China. The collusion between the two immediate neighbours of India due to various mutually vested interests is a reality. The covert and diplomatic support of China during the Indo-Pak conflict with equipment and technological resources, in the past, is not a hidden fact. So, now the possibility of activation of northern borders as well as both Ladakh and North Eastern regions is high, sooner than later.

The focus on re-evaluation of counterbalancing their strategies by both our adversaries cannot be ruled out. There are umpteen geopolitical, military, psychological and sub-conventional tools that both Pakistan and China together can clandestinely leverage against India. A coordinated and synchronised approach striking the pressure points both in Ladakh and the North Eastern region of India offers the most effective means to strategically divert India's current focus away from Pakistan. India, therefore, needs to proactively handle such an eventuality.

Contours of Present Conflicts

The advancing technology has steered a paradigm shift in the contours of modern conflicts which encompasses varied dimensions of land, air, sea, space, information, cyber and psychological domains. This continuum bounds the range of conflict prevention and post-conflict activities based on national interests. Today's geopolitical environment of multi-polarity has evolved into a dynamic canvas leading to a thin blurring line between peace, low conflict and full-scale conflict.