Save Our Men

Pravin Sawhney

The year 2018 does not augur well for the stability of the Line of Control (LC) between India and Pakistan. The latter has reportedly done 240 ceasefire violations since the new year as compared with eight in the same period last year. Consequently, India has been compelled to evacuate hundreds of civilians living close to the LC.

Pakistan has upped the ante by using Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) to blast Indian observation posts. The Pakistan Army today has more tactical-level options since India frittered away its lead in this war-domain by the militarily ill-conceived September 2016 surgical strikes. This was the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back as India has now lost its deterrence at all levels of war, namely, strategic (politico-military), operational (warfighting) and now tactical (battles) against Pakistan.

Ironically, it has been the NDA governments of Vajpayee and Modi, which claimed to be best custodians of national security, that have harmed it the most. A common sense dictum lost on these governments is this: for militarily powerful nations, like the United States, Russia and now China, deterrence (ability to generate fear and misgivings in enemies) is directly proportional to showcasing its might. The converse is true for nations with limited military resources; the more they hide their military capabilities, the more deterre