Wages of war: pyrrhic victory or real defeat?

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Realpolitik prioritises practical pursuit of national interests, but do these interests - often framed as the nation's — truly benefit the people? Do the people's needs, welfare and potential prosperity justify war? Moreover, who, if anyone, truly wins in war? Is the loser always the ultimate loser, and the winner always the ultimate victor? Are there 'losers' even on the winning side?

These questions gain urgency in the context of the escalating conflict between two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours, demanding critical reflection to preserve sanity in the ongoing Indian misadventures and militarism against Pakistan.

Yet, sanity, truth and foresight often suffer as the first state-sponsored casualties in pre-war or wartime scenarios, drowned out by sensationalised ultra-nationalism and patriotism. For example, the Indian media — better described as 'comedia' — has and continues to fuel war hysteria, jingoism, lies and pro-war propaganda, reflecting the exclusivist and xenophobic tendencies of New Delhi's current political and ideological regime.

Wars typically create more problems than solutions, raise more questions than answers, and incur disproportionate costs, demanding a deep examination of their implications, perceived inevitability and moral weight. Yet, hawks in India, propped up to power via radical ideology, rarely pause to reflect on these questions, let alone their answers.

The loss of innocent lives on either side of the border is indefensible, as is the ongoing aggression against Pakistan based on flimsy grounds. Actions, like unilaterally revoking a bilateral water treaty, launching missile and drone attacks on civilians and conducting cross-border assaults following the "false-flag" incident, highlight India's persistent pursuit of hawkish and militaristic policies. Indian hawks have escalated tensions with Pakistan, igniting a conflict that threatens regional and global peace, as well as prospects of prosperity across the divide and beyond.

This aggression revives a form of Lebensraum and Völkisch ideology under the RSS's Hindutva agenda, driven by promises of resolving historical grievances, realising Akhand Bharat, achieving regional supremacy and stoking anti-Pakistan sentiment.

However, this strategy is not new: from the Pathankot attack in 2016 to the Pulwama attack in 2019, the far-right ethno-nationalist BJP-RSS nexus has frequently exploited incidents for political and strategic purposes, attributing allegations to Pakistan without providing evidence. The Pahalgam attack is widely viewed in the same vein.

With utter disregard for transparency and regional sensitivities, India has orchestrated and fueled tensions in volatile regions, sparking a perilous standoff. In this tense climate, expecting rationality from New Delhi may be unrealistic, and pursuing a pragmatic policy, futile.

While war is a grave evil, aggression justifies the targeted state's right to self-defence. For, a complete restraint from Pakistan against aggressive India would add to the latter's misadventure and militarism in the future. However, in a cycle of tit-for-tat, India bears primary responsibility for igniting an avoidable conflict and the inevitable loss incurred across the border. Therefore, Pakistan needs, besides the appropriate reaction, to effectively take Indian aggression to the relevant global forums.

Once the dust settles, RSS ideology, poverty, non-state actors and entrenched power structures are likely to prevail, while the people — along with their aspirations for socio-economic progress, truth, sanity, stability and the Rafale jet market - will emerge as the true casualties. Regardless of any perceived victor in this conflict, the public on both sides would increasingly face setbacks: a dominant RSS ideology and radicalisation in India and a constrained civilian space and socioeconomic stake in Pakistan.

Therefore, both nations must diplomatically resolve the ongoing conflict by ceasing destabilising efforts against each other. To achieve this, India must reject the exclusivist ideology of the RSS, adopt a pragmatic approach in both policy and practice, uphold international norms and acknowledge the UN resolution on Kashmiris' right to self-determination.