Look for Solutions

Pravin Sawhney

The usual script followed the recent terrorists’ attack on the Sunjuwan army base. The defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman warned that Pakistan will have to pay for the Jammu and Kashmir misadventure and that a counter-terror plan was afoot; Pakistan promised a befitting response. And, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti said that war was not an option and India needed to talk with Pakistan to end the bloodbath.

Meanwhile, one television channel had three generals to discuss India’s military options. While unanimously agreeing that perimeter defence around army bases (especially those close to civilian habitations) should be strengthened to minimise damages, one general, a former northern army commander, conceded that ‘we are left with too few options’. Responsible for the September 2016 surgical strikes, he knew that they neither deterred Pakistan, nor had any serious consequences.

Pakistan’s proxy war can be limited by restoring the IAF’s combat edge

Another general, preferring to obfuscate matters, dwelt on the need to understand the Hybrid War unleashed by Pakistan for an appropriate riposte. Hybrid warfare implies a mix of conventional, unconventional, cyber, psychological and diplomatic warfare. Also called the fifth-generation warfare meant to make the enemy fall in line, it should be backed by credible