Don’t undermine Indian soldiers

Reacting to a recent statement of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on taking back Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Abdullah warned of consequences of armed conflict with Pakistan over PoJK saying that they (Pakistan) are not wearing bangles, they also have an atom bomb, which will “fall on us”.

Abdullah also questioned the Centre’s policy of holding talks with China but not with Pakistan. Not just Abdullah, Congress veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar too sparked a a with his statement on Pakistan, saying that India should engage in a diplomatic dialogue with Pakistan with respect because it has atomic bombs.

While one can understand the concerns about the impact of full-scale conflict with Pakistan, it will do well for someone to tell them not to undermine the capabilities of Indian armed forces, which also is not wearing bangles as well. Both of them are advised to keep military prowess of the fourth largest powerful country of the world, his own country, in mind.

The annual threat assessment report by the US Director of National Intelligence predicts the possibility of a conflict between India and Pakistan with particular concern due to the risk of an "escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states".

Today Pakistan is faced with innumerable problems such as poverty, insecurity, sectarianism and terrorism. The reasons for these problems are long time confrontation between Politicians and military junta of Pakistan who have been interested only to keep their power intact.

Poor administration and high defence expenditure created a difficult financial situation and high inflation with lack of occupations, illiteracy promoted by an ineffective education system etc. There is a large gap between haves and have nots, between common population and upper class.

Since the present government finds no other way to deal with these difficult situations, they find the best way to keep Hindu-Muslim and Kashmir issue burning. Hence a constant threat-environment is kept created to divert the attention of the common Pakistani citizen towards Kashmir issue and terrorism.

But that would not make any material difference. India is ranked as the fourth strongest military power in the world, just behind the US, Russia and China, according to the Global Firepower Index.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is positioned at number nine in the index with a wide gap in fundamental factors i.e., in national development and military strength. While Pakistan has a military strength of 6.7 lakhs, India stands to have strength of 14 lakhs beside large logistic and infrastructural back up.

In the 2023-24 Union Budget, India allocated 13 per cent of its budget to defence at 5.94 trillion rupees ($73.8 Billion), while Pakistan has a defence budget of $6.34 billion.

Pakistan has zero aircraft carriers and its limited strength makes it a 'Green-water Navy' that can operate in its region. Pakistan has lost all wars against India from 1947 till date. Pak had had the humiliating defeat losing half of its country in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971.

Since it realised that India could not be defeated by conventional war, it started its ‘Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts’ military doctrine of waging covert war against India using insurgents at multiple locations. Punjab and Kashmir have been the primary targets of this policy and hundreds of people have been killed due to this low intensity warfare waged against India by Pakistan. But India has thwarted all the efforts of Pakistan to destabilise India.

Being veteran politicians, Farooq Abdullah and Mani Shankar Aiyar should have been aware of the capability of both the Indian armed forces and standing of the Government of India today in the world. India is economically and militarily much more advanced than the last war in 1999.

Regarding the use of nuclear weapons, it will be the dooms day for Pakistan. While India would survive by its mere size, Pakistan would vanish from the map. Pakistan will be left with no hands to wear bangles. Because, if Pakistan fires nukes, India will retaliate and it will cease to exist.

The Pakistani establishment does not favour peace with India. How does one then expect India to talk peace with such a hostile country, which has teamed up with China with the sole intention to destroy India, even if this causes its own destruction? It is Pakistan which has repeatedly waged war against India and lost. Onus for peace is on them, not us.

Abdullah’s family has ruled Jammu and Kashmir for the largest period post-Independence and has witnessed the bloodbath caused by Pakistan in its efforts to blood wrest Kashmir from India since 1947. Instead of preaching peace to India, Farooq Abdullah should rather warn Pakistan against doing mischief against us.

India has shown enough patience against its western neighbour and failed to make it see reason. Now India won’t back down.