More than anything else, the sudden flare-up at the LoC is a reflection of an Indian mindset that is now ready to play ball. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned from a very successful American visit, where he agreed to play an active role in America’s new Marshall Plan — ‘The Asian Pivot’. Ready to act as the loyal deputy, India is putting up a little show to demonstrate that the agreed-upon ceasefire in 2003 will no more be a barrier for it. This ‘military window-dressing’ is meant to demonstrate the hard Indian military power.
The strategic allies of the new Marshall Plan have agreed to expand their political and economic ties. Militarily, both India and the US have jointly agreed to fight extremism and provide a balance against China’s growing military power in the region. To do that, India needs to demonstrate that its military has not gone soft and is not ‘gun-shy’. Will the most powerful country in South Asia, with a trigger-happy army, be able to execute the American strategy in the region? Can the leadership of a country, which cannot maintain agreed-upon ceasefire agreements across the LoC and which executes the dangerous delegation of authority to its army to commit military abuses, be trusted to act as a major American partner to fight extremism in South Asia? We had Americans giving us many lectures on military morality when we were its major non-Nato ally. Will it now question this unprovoked Indian military abuse that targets innocent civilians?
It’s only during time of hostility that the traditional military command structures delegate maximum authority to the commanders on the ground. There is no doubt that the excessive use of force across the LoC, which has resulted in civilian casualties, has been subjected to ‘preliminary pre-clearance’ by the highest responsible authority in India. Soldiers only execute orders and when such orders result in the death of innocent civilians, they no more remain soldiers but become members of ‘private hit teams’, who kill people on orders of those executing the agenda of state terrorism.
India has accused Pakistan of carrying out heavy mortar shelling and firing in the Jammu and Poonch sectors. It has also accused Pakistan of infiltrating militants across the border. Such accusations are a norm. India claims that the time for such infiltration across the LoC is now — before the winter sets in. Even if we accept Indian allegations, what right does India have to target and execute innocent civilians across the border, working in the fields and residing in their houses?
Indians are internally battling the Naxalite insurgency and the Maoist movement is also active in the country. India is also home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations. It is understandable and very much in its interest to check the rise of extremism. But to do that, it needs to engage Pakistan, not as a regional hegemon with a large standing army threatening to overrun its borders, but as a neighbour that is ready to resolve all disputes in an environment of bilateral friendship and cooperation.
The revival of the Indian economy that Prime Minister Modi promised the Indian voters and who gave him the landslide victory will not materialise by becoming a gun-toting loyal deputy marshal to the Americans in the region. India, as America’s new strategic ally and partner, may be ready to execute the US-approved shift of regional order, but it may do well to consider its political, economic, as well as military repercussions. You can change your partners, but you can never change your neighbours.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (16)
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Priceless to blame the firm Indian response to Pakistani aggression as evidence of some sinister IndoAmerican plan to police dominate the region. Indians have always wanted peace with Pakistan, I imagine most Pakistanis want peace with India but sadly one institution in Pakistan has always benifitted from the tension. And sadly they and not Pakistan's government call(fire) the shots when it comes to foreign policy.
Classic Pakistan -- India defends itself so now it's the poodle of the USA. Grow up. Maybe your neighbors are just tired of your duplicitous behavior and have said ENOUGH!
Poor Pakistan ! All the neighbors are tormenting it by launching unprovoked attacks !!
This op-ed definately has an entertainment value ... Keep it up ...
Nice story,seems like he wake up on the morning and went straight to computer to write story of dream
Any insight on Iran ?
You are wrong sir, our relation with US always mind the gap relation. We never move close to Americans. There are lots of cultural difference between us. But the Russians is our trusted friend
stop writing rubbish and instead preach your country to become civilized nation which is currently in the list to rogue nations, threatening a peaceful country with nuclear weapons is not the act of a civilized nation.On the economic front your country is on ventilator of international aid and IMF/world bank loans which is being used to pay salaries to your forces and purchase ammunition and wage low intensity and proxy wars against India.
@Ehsan: Are you calling Indian army firing across border "unprovoked" because you know so or because you are told so ? Is your opinion just stemming out of your blind belief in your military institutions or by hard facts ? It sounds like quite a convenient assumption that Indian army is purposely firing at innocent civilians. Question is what are your innocent citizen doing so close to the border where there is active shelling going on ? Indian government shifted it's population away from the border to protect it from Pakistani shelling. Does your government care less about it's citizens ? Is it allowing them to die just to create news and gather sympathy from clueless citizens whose only knowledge about whats going on near LoC is from ISPR and ministers statements ? Ponder over this point. And I do expect your reply for sake of open minded debate.
The author preempts Indian thought process as Pakistan would do in similar circumstances I.e. play deputy to US. But India is not Pakistan.
Just because you keep parroting lies like 'unprovoked', nobody is going to believe Pakistan.
.......what right does India have to target and execute innocent civilians across the border,......
What right does Pakistan have to initiate border firing to push terrorists inside India? What right does Pakistan have to practice terrorism as a state policy towards India and Afghanistan? What right does Pakistan army have to do Kargil when India extended the hand of friendship?
The retired military guy should be a given a noble price for his invention that neighbours cannot be changed.
There is nothing inexplicable about it.
The current government realized that the previous governments policy of appeasement and turning a blind eye to ceasefire violations by Pakistan hasn't yielded any benefit to India. Pakistan wouldn't even push through a simple thing like MFN status despite all this friendliness. So the current government gave the army authorization to retaliate to firing at the border.
That is all.
The author has listed out the travails of India that it's govt needs to focus it's energies on. But, isn't it also true that his former employers have a record of mischief making - Kargil was a good example?
So, I am more inclined to believe the Indian version thank the Pakistani version.
"It’s only during time of hostility that the traditional military command structures delegate maximum authority to the commanders on the ground. There is no doubt that the excessive use of force across the LoC, which has resulted in civilian casualties, has been subjected to ‘preliminary pre-clearance’ by the highest responsible authority in India".
There has been an ever increasing escalation in terms of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. It is not just firing across LOC but the egregious nature of violations which is very noticeable in the last 2 years. In Jan 2013, 2 Indian soldiers were beheaded. In August 2013, 5 Indian soldiers were ambushed and killed and in Oct 2014, Pakistan killed 5 Indian civilians. India considers this to be a hostile act. The Indian defense minister has said that if Pakistan continues with its adventurism, it will make the cost unaffordable for Pakistan. This and ony this is the reason for the robust response you saw this time. It has nothing to do with being American deputy. India has always been non aligned and never rented its army to get favors from big powers.