The Onus of #SayNoToWar is with Pakistan - Don’t shift it on to India

Just for the kind reference of the apostles of peace, who are trending #SayNoToWar, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, then Defence Minister A K Antony had said, "530 soldiers were martyred during Kargil War under operation Vijay. 3,987 soldiers have been killed afterwards during the years 2000-2012." According to Global Terrorism Database at University of Maryland, 6488 terrorist attacks were recorded in India during 2002–2015. Little more than 7600 people killed and over 14400 wounded.

Pakistan’s unprovoked act of aggression against India on 27 February 2019 including violation of Indian air space by Pak air force and targeting of Indian military posts seems to be irrational to the point of suicidal. Through the capture, mal-treatment and vulgar display of bleeding Indian Air Force pilot, Pakistan has already violated the Geneva Convention and if Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman was not handed over back to India within 7-days, it would have amounted to Pakistan having officially declared war against India.

How can Pakistan hope to survive a battle with, much less defeat, an enemy possessing an unprecedented diplomatic backing and an economic base 10 times that of Pakistan? An Indo-Pak military battle is one that Pakistan is always going to lose, so how does one explain Pakistan’s decision? Do the Pakistani leadership recognize the odds against them? Do they have a concept of victory, or at least of avoiding defeat? Or does the Pakistan’s leadership prefer a lost battle to an unacceptable peace?

It would appear that Pakistan’s decision for war is dictated by Pakistan’s conceit and the threatened economic destruction of Pakistan by India. While Pakistan’s aggression in India this morning may be the trigger for the ensuing military conflict, the road to this battle is built on Pakistan’s doctrine of inflicting a thousand cuts on India through terror, drugs, counterfeit-currency, insurgency, supporting the secessionists in Kashmir, causing Hindu-Muslim trouble and many other low grade war tactics.

Is India underestimating the role of fear and smugness in Pakistan’s calculations and overestimating the effectiveness of economic and diplomatic sanctions as a deterrent to war, whereas Pakistan underestimating the cohesion and resolve of an aroused Indian society and overestimating their own strategic geography as a means of defeating India’s diplomatic superiority.

A military battle with Pakistan is, of course, a battle India is always going to win, but Pakistani people are not the enemy the Indian government wants to fight. India has to settle her accounts with the rouge ISI, the military and the stooge political leadership of Pakistan who are hand in glove in persistent enmity and hostile activities directed against India and survive by fuelling animosity between the people across the boundaries.

The real enemies of Pakistan are its military and the ISI who thrive on corruption and legitimise their subversion of democracy by projecting the bogey of India as an enemy. These enemies have already failed Pakistan as a nation and multiple generations of Pakistani people.

War is not the solution to any problem. But war may be the only arrow left in the quiver of peace loving India in its long haul efforts to find a solution to the problem called Pakistan.

If Bhagwaan Shree Krishna could be requested for His guidance at this hour, I suppose, He would support India waging the Dharma-Yudh (not to be mistaken as war in the name of religion like jihad).

This is not war-mongering but exploiting war as the very last recourse in pursuit of right, just and sustainable peace.

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