BEYOND REACTION, TOWARDS REINVENTION

India's security calculus today is shaped by a complex tapestry of regional tensions, global shifts and unconventional threats.

- ABHAY KRISHNA

Indian Military today is on the cusp of transformation from a legacy force to a Futuristic Force and in the face of an ever-evolving security landscape, the Indian Military stands tall, resilient, resolute and ready for "Securing Borders, Demography and Strategic Futures".

The recent Pahalgam killings are a grim reminder of terrorism which remains a festering wound. The Pak military-jihadist collusion is very evident. Today, the question for India is not ‘if’ to respond, but ‘how’ to respond.

Should our outrage only find voice after mass tragedy? Should thresholds for retaliation be defined by numbers—26, 260 or 2600 lives lost? Nations like Israel have demonstrated that calibrated and decisive actions are needed before the tipping point is reached.

Should it be to compel Pakistan to abandon its Kashmir obsession? To dismantle its terror infrastructure or break Pakistan into pieces? As noble as that may sound, Pakistan’s very identity has been built on its anti-India ideology. It will neither change overnight nor it will change only by applying force alone.

India, therefore, must not mirror every individual's anger impulsively but instead channel the collective will into strategic, forceful and foresighted action.

Pakistan’s Internal Disintegration: India’s Strategic Opportunity

Today, Pakistan teeters on the edge. Civil-military rifts, rising insurgencies (TTP, Baloch separatists, ISKP) and economic collapse offer India a rare opening. Yet an immediate direct full scale military assault may not prove very productive as it may unite their fractured society against so called “an external enemy,” and the Pak Army playing the victim card.

We also have to see it in the context of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's speech to the Pakistani diaspora a few days ago. By singling out non-Muslims, he becomes a hero for the mullahs as well. He is already well liked by them as he is a Qur'an e hafiz as well.