Pakistan’s Belligerence Unwarranted

Pakistan once again displayed its true colours this week with a spate of border clashes and shellings. What was worse is that this time the Pakistan Army showed its Talibanistic traits when after ambushing an Indian Army border patrol it killed two Indian Army soldiers and beheading one. More barbaric was the abhorrent deed of carrying back into Pakistan the beheaded head as a trophy. This is the Pakistan with which the Indian Prime Minister and his National Security Adviser wish to have a ‘Peace Dialogue’ with and both are still inclined to continue talking to these barbarians.

Pakistani Establishment’s belligerence is increasing day by day sheerly because they feel that the Indian political leadership is weak and timid and incapable of any strong ripostes. How can India hope to be respected as the predominant power in South Asia if it cannot neutralise Pakistan Army’s unwarranted belligerence by strong, swift and hard responses? How can India hope to emerge as a major player in the global strategic calculus if it allows small countries like Pakistan tweak its nose?

Surely, the Indian political leadership is not unaware that India’s “National Honour” has been sullied and more sullied by the Indian Government’s pacifist responses in the face of grave military provocations. Surely, the Indian political leadership is not unaware that the Indian Army would be seething with rage on being held back and restrained from retaliating back at Pakistan Army’s barbaric atrocities.

For far too long has the Indian Prime Minister has obdurately pursued obsessive fixation of peace at any cost with Pakistan unmindful of the fact that on this crucial issue the vast majority of India is not with him and that he stands severely disconnected with Indian public opinion. It is also surprising that the Congress President should be unaware of the strong resentment within India with her Congress Government’s obsession for peace with Pakistan at any cost.

Peace with Pakistan is a desirable objective and should be striven for only when there is a matching yearning from the Pakistani side and only when Pakistan displays firm and genuine indicators of the sincerity of such intentions.

Regrettably in the last six decades this has been a one-sided game with India “begging” for peace and Pakistan spurning all such initiatives with scorn, military provocations and bestial brutality.

It is high time the Opposition Parties and the people of India prevail over the Government to desist from begging” peace from Pakistan. The Pakistan Army only understands one language and that is of strong military force. After the Indian Army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Pakistan Army in 1971 and took 91,000 of their soldiers as prisoners there was peace for the next eighteen years.  But in the following year then Indian PM Indira Gandhi frittered away the gains of the Indian Army on the battlefield by abject surrender on the political negotiating table at Shimla by releasing the Pakistan Army prisoners with no tangible quid pro quo from Pakistan.

The moral of the story is left to the readers to articulate.

India’s political leaders need to grow up strategically and develop the guts and the will to use power to protect India’s National Honour”.