B L Saraf
India has crossed the Line. Indian Air Force has pounded terrorist camps located in PoK and Balakote – a place far deep in Pakistan. The ‘non military pre-emptive air strike’ in Balakote in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,as Ministry of Foreign Affairs has characterized it -proves the fact that India has developed the capacity to launch a successful strike within Pakistan te ritory,if and when required. Some would say that is
facility existed arlier also. May be; but the political will to utilize it has been demonstrated only now, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As expected, Pakistan has retaliated. India ha paid some cost in terms of loss of a fighter jet. On
IAF Officer has, unfortunately, fllen into Pakistan’s hands. We are sure that he will return safe and sound. Nevertheless, the psychological an strategic gain that has accrued to India should allow that loss to pass on as a necessary ‘trade off’. In any case this is the cost the society has to pay for tha what it has been demanding of the successive Governments and the politicians. Demand has been met; some cost will be incurred, inevitably The long term consequence of the cross border action of I AF is being examined by the expert which will be known sometime later. But, as of today, it is quite apparent that, apart from wha has bee stated above, India’s action of hitting deep insi e Pakistan has debunked the ‘ nuclear ‘ mythcre ted by Pakistan. The act marks an important shift in India’s approach towards cross -border terrorismthat it will not come under Pakistan’s nuclear
bluff. Pakistan, since nuclearisation, has been arguingthat Kashmir is a “nuclear flashpoint ” and has been pursuing terrorism under the nuclear umbrella. The IAF shrike truly indicates a paradigm shif in India’s strategic calculus. But then the questions remain. Would thi action impart any sense to Pakistan to lay off Will it have a salutary effect on that country ? W ll, as they say, taste of pudding lies in eating. One should not be in doubt that Pakistan has continued to place high value on cross -border terrorism and has developed a sense of immunity due to India’ prior inability to retaliate. So, it looks unlik ly that t problem
which, instead of being solved, it as allowed that
to become existential one for itse f. The genesis of
the problem lies in the much despicable ‘ two nation tlement to Kashmir, given Valley’sd e m o g r a p h i c composition.C. Christine Fair, Professor of Security Studies, Georgetown University – who has extensively written on Pakistan’s role in fomenting terrorism in its neighbor hood, has, in her latest column about Pulwama terrorist attack on the CRPF Convoy, observed :
” Pakistan is an international insurgent. To be
victorious it does not have to defeat India, it need only demonstrate that India cannot defeat it and it does so by calculated risks like Pulwama.” In such a scenario it is too early to say, whether that mindset will undergo any change. However, it must be noticed here that Pakistan has started to make right noises in favor of peace in the sub-continent. The great poet and a noted political thinker, Sahir Ludhianvi said long ago : Jang masley ka kya hul deigaa Jang toe khud ek masla hai
That is the exter al aspect. There is another dimension to the issue which calls for an inward look. Kashmir remains a festering sore. Pakistan will not allow it to heal up so easily. India has to put its act together to manage the ailment, at the least. Ostrich like approach won’t work. Neither does it carry any sense to make present hostage to the past . In the nationalistic euphoria, we must not allow the rational thought to become a causality. While it is highly desirable to have elections in Jammu and Kashmir soon but it will add to the problem if the State is used, as an instrument, in election calculus to garner votes, in the mainland. It is evident that global order has evolved in favor of India and to the disadvantage of Pakistan. Onus, therefore is on it to reassure the world community that it wants peace and calm in Jammu and Kashmir. Not by words, it is to be done by a demonstrable action, on the ground zero. Therefore, instead of crying hoarse over the Pakistani activities India must utilize this situation and fix its house min order in Jammu and Kashmir. Continuation of the favorable global view will largely depend on how India manages its affairs in Kashmir and carries maximum number of Kashmiris along with, in a peaceful ambience. May be, another surgical strike, though benign, is required, internally, to cure the sore. We hope PM Narendra Modi will oblige us with one. (The author is former Principal District and Sessions Judge)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel