Escalating border tensions: India’s policy objectives

In the last few days, we have seen compelling evidence of India’s nefarious policy designs against Pakistan in particular and Muslims in general. Nothing could encapsulate those designs more vividly than a historic six-day visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India last week. This was the first-ever visit by an Israeli PM to India in the last decade and a half. Before Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon was the last Israeli leader to visit India in 2003. It is no coincidence then that during that same visit by Netanyahu India chose to demonstrate both its strategic motives and aggressive intent towards Pakistan by continually violating the ceasefire on the Working Boundary and the Line of Control (LoC).

Over the last 48 hours, in fact, Indian forces continued to resort to fierce and unprovoked shelling that left as many as nine Pakistanis dead and over two dozen others injured in Sialkot border villages, Jandhrot Kotri sector and Bhimber district in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). So even a day after Netanhayu had ended his Indian sojourn, New Delhi raised the scale of its aggression against Pakistan — almost as if such acts had been endorsed by the Israeli leader.

Such violations of the ceasefire agreement are hardly uncommon. If we go over the events of the past three years, we see that Indian forces violated the ceasefire at the LoC 248 times in 2015, resulting in 41 killings and 170 injuries. In 2016, the LoC was violated 382 times, causing 46 fatalities and 150 injuries. During the past year (2017), Indian troops broke the ceasefire agreement 1,881 times and violated the Working Boundary. These acts of aggression resulted in 53 deaths and 256 injuries.

Since 2015, India has been escalating border tensions with Pakistan by mounting unceasing, brazen and unprovoked attacks on civilians in the country. A quantum leap has been seen in ceasefire violations and the fatalities resulting from that. These actions stem from a definite policy crafted by New Delhi. A disturbing aspect of this policy is that Indian forces are becoming more trigger-happy with each passing year.

By no means has India stopped its LoC violations this year. In the first 15 days of 2018 alone, Indian troops violated the ceasefire more than 120 times. Unlike its recalcitrant neighbour, Pakistan has never adopted an aggressive strategy. It has taken special measures to ensure that common citizens are not targeted. Small weapons whenever used are strictly for response purposes. Retaliatory military action is taken against only those specific check posts from where India carries out shelling attacks.

Why is India doing all of this? There seems to be several reasons for it. Its immediate aim is to raise the ante against Pakistan by continually violating the LoC ceasefire agreement and deflect Pakistan’s and the international community’s attention from the situation in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. By engaging in these activities India is hoping to weaken Pakistan’s stance. US President Donald Trump’s own admitted inclination towards India and Washington’s policy revisions towards Pakistan is further heightening the issue. As far as one can see, India wants to engage our army both in the eastern and western borders so that it can achieve its ill objectives.

It is clear that the recent ceasefire violations occurred due to a flurry of xenophobic statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his ministers and army chief which depict the future objectives of India. The aggressive rhetoric from the political and military leadership and the continuous ceasefire violations by India as captured by the Pakistani media are enough to alert the international community. It is a testament to the fact that India wants to increase tensions along the eastern border. The Israeli prime minister’s visit to India and his military pacts with India are a matter of concern. India’s defence pacts with Israel are aimed at further improving Delhi’s military prowess. Such military cooperation between India and Israel is primarily intended to checkmate Pakistan.

In addition to escalated LoC truce violations, India is targeting the civilian population by using explosives and heavy weapons. Over the past year, the Indian army placed explosives in Sabz Kot, Chari Kot and Bagsar area which affected several people. Both the use and detonation of explosives in Pakistani residential areas is a loosely defined terrorist war strategy — akin to the one used by international terrorists which is aimed at bringing about a number of deaths and causing widespread destruction. The adoption of such a war strategy by the Indian army, however, is highly unusual.

Pakistan should not neglect its defence. There is a need to undertake effective lobbying in the US and Europe to expose the sinister objectives of India. Our foreign minister needs to play a significant role so as to rally round broad support in the world and put forth a strong reaction across the diplomatic front also.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2018.

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