Map depicting export of terrorism from Pak soil
Though the official spokesperson of Indian Army is silent as to whether on 15 January 2018, Indian Army troops crossed the Line of Control in Poonch Sector of the J&K to kill seven Pakistani soldiers and injure four and before this, last month killing of four Pakistani soldiers, however those of us who have served in this sector know that this is not possible by just artillery fire and Indian Army has actually gone across the border. It is common knowledge that this was done by Indian Army to avenge killing of one major and three soldiers of ours last month, by Pakistani Army Bat team. Let there be no doubt that this time message has gone across to Pakistani Army, loud and clear, that this is how now we will deal with you. Unfortunately this message which is going now should have gone across long time back.
Army Chief Bipin Rawat is very right in his statement, given recently in a special interview, that to stop cross border terror, more pressure must be created on Pakistan. It needs to be understood by all; especially Indian powers that be, that we cannot expect America and other countries to keep on sanctioning Pakistan without us doing anything in this context ourselves. In last one week or so, Army Chief Bipin Rawat has given three specific statements on Pakistan which are of great relevance. First. He said that if to deal with Pakistan we are told to cross the border, we will not tell the Government that since Pakistan has nuclear weapons we will not cross the border. This statement had so angered Pakistan that their army spokesperson Major General Asif Gafoor started rattling their nuclear weapons with them. This is normal practice with Pakistan. Second .he said that in terms of enemy we must shift our focus from Pakistan to China. This is very true, because Pakistan is a small fry now. What we should be worried about is China and its arrogance. In any case now after America stopping all aid to Pakistan, measuring almost 2 billion dollars, China is the only back up left for Pakistan, which is busy converting Pakistan as its own colony. Third. Now Army Chief has said that more pressure must be applied on Pakistan to make it shun Cross border terror.
For almost a decade after 2004 NDA rule ,during the time of Congress led UPA rule of 10 years, India followed a weak policy with Pakistan of not doing anything despite provocations. Even the military modernisation and acquisition of weapons was put on back burner .Congress Defence minister AK Antony, did nothing else except blacklisting foreign arms manufacturing giants on slightest whiff of suspicion of corruption, instead of setting his own house in order. All this did not go unnoticed with china and Pakistan who spend billions of dollars in collecting intelligence concerning Indian military capabilities. A militarily weak India suited them well.
Except for the time when Mrs Indira Gandhi was the prime minster of India, all other Governments have been following a defensive and reactive policy towards Pakistan. It was always Pakistan who first played some mischief against India and then we reacted. After gaining independence in 1947, Indian leaders for a very long time lived in the pipe dream That after all Pakistanis are our brothers and in the time to come they will again have brotherly relations with us. That they will be our friends. None of the Indian ruling politicians were prepared to accept the fact that Pakistanis, even if they want to be our friends and brothers cannot be so because then it will be difficult for them to survive as a nation. Questions will then be asked as to why they demanded partition when for 5000 years they were part of Indian heritage? That their origin is Indian. This is the reason they deny this 5000 year old heritage and want to have an Arab identity but Arabs look down on them. Besides Pakistani Army which ruled Pakistan for half of its existence period, will never allow this friendship. Tom Toming Threat from India is their bread and butter and very reason why their Corps Commanders are called in Pakistan Corer Commanders and they are doing 20 Billion dollar business in Pakistan.( Ayesha Siddiqas famous book Pakistan Military Incorporation).In the last 70 years, except for a brief period, we have been extending hands of friendship to Pakistan which was always slighted. After Indra Gandhi and more so after Rajiv Gandhi and his famous quote for Pakistan that ‘NANI YAAD DILA DENGE,’ we have been having successive coalition governments at centre who were comparatively weak. As also amalgamation of those political parties who believed in vote bank politics having misplaced concept that if they become tough on Pakistan the Indian Muslims will not vote for them, as if Indian Muslims do not love their country India?
Even in the current Modi Government rule, while armed forces have been given much more latitude in dealing with Pakistan, nevertheless a clear cut direction to deal with Pakistan as enemy and China as neither a friend nor an enemy is missing. Modi Government must come out with clear cut Pakistan policy which must be pro active and not reactive. Every time Pakistani Army sponsored jehadis cross borders to attack targets in J&K, let us also cross 778 km long LOC, at the time and place of our choosing to kill Pakistani Army soldiers and not jehadis. Jehadis are cannon fodder to Pakistani Army but when their soldiers start getting killed they will think twice before attempting cross border jehad by their paid jehadis. Similarly when Pakistan, for more than a decade has denied us the Most Favoured Nation status on one pretext or other, why are we maintaining this MFN status with Pakistan? Withdraw it. Also this nonsense of cease fire violation on LOC now has no takers. Pakistani Army has violated cease fire along LOC, 821 times in 2017. So let us give decent burial to it.
We must reduce the role of Pak embassy in India and vice versa. We should help the cause of Baluchistan and make huge hue and cry of Pakistan ceding Shaksgam Valley to china from POK, a disputed area, as also China building CEPC passing through POK. Finally like Pakistan which right from the beginning is bent upon breaking India we should have a long term foreign policy to cannibalise Pakistan. Our politicians must understand that Pakistan was never our friend and will never be our friend in future also. So we must cannibalise this country. A weak Pakistan is good for India .
The Pakistan favouring Indus Water Treaty of fifties, Thanks to Nehru’s short sightedness, that allows six river waters of India to flow in Pakistan while we feel a pinch, must now be reviewed. The point is that we are not stopping water to Pakistan but are only going for equitable distribution of water. Our fear that if we do this China may do same to us on Brahmaputra waters and other rivers flowing from Tibet to India are unfounded. As clarified earlier we should go for equitable distribution and not stopping water to Pakistan. We also must stop all the buses and train services to and fro from Pakistan. We should also reduce our embassy staff from Pakistan and no medical visa please. Time has come for tough measures. No Chalta Hai Concept. Similarly instead of looking at US and other nations to set right Pakistan let us develop spine to do it ourselves. Our Netas will have to be bold and forthcoming. They must develop political will. Pakistan is our main competitors in textile exports. If we stop sale of cotton to Pakistan then the price of Pakistani textiles in world market will zoom and will become unviable hurting Pakistan in a big way. Similarly what is the sense in carrying out back channel diplomacy with Pakistan? As late as on 26 Dec 2017 Indian NSA Ajit Doval met his Pakistani counterpart Lt Gen (retd) Januja in Bangkok secretly. This sends a wrong message. Our political masters must understand that under no circumstances Pakistan will ever be our friend.
India now must evolve a long term Pakistan policy where Pakistan is permanently seen as enemy. This policy must continue to be implemented despite whichever government is ruling the country. This policy must have in its core the theme of breaking of Pakistan into Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khaiber Pakhtoon Wala. India must implement the CDS system lying sanctioned since 2003, allowing single window military advice to our political masters. India also now must go all out to become a military-industrial base as part of Make in India effort. Cut down purchase of arms from outside. Produce them in India. Also go for arms diplomacy which US, China and other countries are aggressively following.
We must learn to use our military might in the correct perspective. We must make our armed forces lean and mean ready to strike at a moment’s notice. We must carry out long pending military reforms especially in the conduct of higher direction of war. We should never forget the Clausewitz first principal of war that it is not the actual use but the threat to use our military might that should be able to get us the results. We must learn in strategic field to punch at par with our weight and not below it as we have been doing till now. In addition to improving our border defence and homeland security we must also improve our political atmosphere at home. We should shed moral high ground and utopian principals and start working on real politics. Covert operations, LOC domination, Baluchistan, Sind, POK and IWT should be our action areas. Any delay or bureaucratic approach on these issues will lose the impact on Pakistan in particular and world in general.
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