Looked at dispassionately, India’s response to the Pahalgam attack at the strategic level has been quite comprehensive. If followed through, it will hurt Pakistan at many levels. The immediate decision to put in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty, for instance, will have a tremendous impact on that nation’s agriculture and living conditions. India had, already, been downgrading its engagement with the western neighbour for several years and that process has been speeded up. The less India has to do with the Pakis, the better!
Under the circumstances, there is absolutely no need for India to make war upon Pakistan. The primary issue still remains how the terrorists made it across the border and attacked the tourists. Also, where have they disappeared? Unless they are caught, or eliminated, all other proposed action is secondary. It is necessary to find out exactly which launch pad they used and who are the masterminds behind the atrocity. If there are to be cross-border strikes, these have to be on specific targets associated with the massacre. If there is a military response from Pakistan to that, escalation of the conflict would be a natural result. Till then, however, India can hold its horses.
India has also been successful in bringing focus on Pakistan’s support to terrorist groups on the international stage. The UNSC meeting on the subject resulted in quite categorical condemnation of Pakistan’s actions. The communal nature of the attack was also noted, an appreciation of which is critical for the international community to understand the background of Pakistan’s criminal involvement.
With all the moves being made by Prime Minister Modi and his team, preparing for a military confrontation with Pakistan is not the same as intending to make war. Unfortunately, there are many across the political spectrum who are looking to push the government in that direction. While some are driven by poorly reasoned chauvinistic sentiments, others are hoping that, regardless of the consequences for the nation, the PM ends up unable to take up the challenge. The recent ‘Rafale and lemon’ taunt by the President of the UP unit of the Congress party shows how hatred for Modi has overcome good judgement. The best response to Pakistan in the long term is for India to completely outpace it in development terms and further bring J&K into the mainstream. It is the foundational philosophy behind the formation of Pakistan that has to be annihilated, not its people.
