India And Pakistan Enter A Dangerous Era

'India for its survival has to change its doctrine from no first use to a pre-emptive attack in case of any hostile move by Pakistan,'

- BY COLONEL ANIL A ATHALE (RETD)

President Trump spoke on Monday about India and Pakistan having dinner together.

To many thoughtful Indians, it is equivalent of accepting a dinner invite from cannibals and living to tell the tale! The ongoing Operation Sindoor, undertaken to punish Pakistan for its sponsorship of terrorism in India, has evoked criticism from two extremes.

Adherents of peace-at-any cost argue that India is playing with fire and a cornered Pakistan could resort to the use of nuclear weapons, leading to a catastrophe.

On the other hand, supporters of the government feel that this was the right opportunity to 'finish' Pakistan and we missed an opportunity like Prithviraj Chauhan did after the Battle of Tarain in 1191 AD.

Despite defeating Mohammad Ghori, Prithviraj let him escape only for Ghori to return and defeat him.

The right answer to criticism from both these extremes needs a careful look at the India-Pakistan nuclear calculus.

We also have to accept that everyone loves a (weak) Pakistan. China supports Pakistan as a proxy to check India, the US has long term ties with Pakistan’s military elite and nurtures the belief that it can still 'use' Pakistan, the Islamic world supports it since it is the only Islamic nation with nuclear weapons.

These geopolitical factors are enduring in nature and any attempt by India to 'finish' Pakistan will meet combined resistance from all these quarters.

Once a country acquires nuclear weapons, it is virtually immortal. It can implode internally like the erstwhile Soviet Union but cannot be defeated militarily.