NATIONAL security is one of the biggest issues of governance. If the security of a nation is lax, the havoc that could be created is unimaginable. So, when a nation elects any Prime Minister, a paramount concern is, can the leader provide security. Post the surgical strikes, Indians are worried; what will happen if there is an India-Pakistan war? I want to clear the mist that India will in no way choose a roadmap that leads to war, though minor surgical operations will keep on hammering Pakistan. India is very much safe and secure, thanks to our brave soldiers and military leadership. If we observe, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is under pressure from the military, the military from Islamic forces, and both are under threat from terrorists. Terrorists are pawns of international forces which use them for their social, political and economic ends within the territory and outside. Pakistan is riding just on its geographical location, its military, population and a nuclear bomb. So, the territory of Pakistan is a chaotic no mans’ land. The government in Pakistan is basically a facade created by forces which want to control Pakistan by proxy to put down India, which is on the road of development. What options does India have? Does India want to capture a rogue nation with a terrorist factory and a nuclear bomb controlled by a fatigued military? The answer is no. So, what is the purpose of surgical strikes? Before the Uri attack, Kashmir was already boiling. The Uri attack only fuelled the fire. In India, people were clamoring for action against Pakistan via social media, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. People dug out the video of Modi’s election campaign, where he said that to fight with Pakistan one should have a 56-inch chest. Politically, the message was going down the line that Modi did not have the guts to take action against Pakistan despite his claims during the general election. Modi’s political graph was going down.
Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are due in the first half of 2017. The ruling political dispensation cannot ask the people for vote in such a hostile atmosphere. The common man does not know the complexities of war or dynamics of international diplomacy. They just wanted action against Pakistan. Modi realised the pulse and hence, the surgical strikes. Modi is now being praised by everybody. The surgical operation by the military has, however, opened a Pandora’s box. MG Devasahayam writes, ‘India generally has three options—conventional, sub-conventional and nuclear. All-out nuclear war is out of question. Sub-conventional warfare involves stealth attacks and guerrilla tactics, similar to the Army’s surgical strikes. The third option is conventional warfare. Notwithstanding the importance of regional, strategic and political considerations and all that is lost in the rhetoric, the truth is India is not economically prepared to wage war in this manner’.
War is never a willful option. War is most of the times imposed on a nation, as is being instigated by Pakistan against India. The survival of Pakistan’s political leadership is based on India bashing. It has to be seen if Pakistan has the will power and resources to open a full-fledged war with India. In all probability, the answer is no. Modi has to move fast to convince those forces who are the perpetrators of war and use a nation as a proxy that war is not a solution. It is a game. Modi knows the dynamics of the game well. He has to come out from the messy and dangerous game to take India to new economic heights, for which he has himself laid down the parameters, and say goodbye to the warmongers.
ANIL TYAGI
editor@gfilesindia.com
