Abdullah Mustafvi
How a full scale military engagement can be averted between India and Pakistan under prevailing state of non-flexible postures maintained by either sides . Definitely , any escalation leading to unconventional means may not be affordable for both rivals . Despite narrating too much against the war and advocating untiringly for the peace , both sides are persistently busy in adding up the stock piles of latest deadly weapons . Trust deficit is one factor spoiling the options for peace since long . A country like Pakistan, comparatively much smaller than India in all fields of resources , feels compelled to invest on security once aggressiveness radiates from every move in the neighborhood . A partition on ideological grounds and emergence of Pakistan has never been accepted by India so far . Against all the wishes of Indian leadership, Pakistan came into being as an independent state and survived till today . Strong urge in India to undo Pakistan by any means is detrimental to regional peace . Blood soaked tragedy in 1971 , long standing issue of Kashmir and prolonged military engagement at the highest battlefield of Siachin are parts of never ending chain of coercive maneuvering . In this age of 5th generation warfare , India left no stone unturned to destabilize Pakistan .Indian sponsored terrorist net works striking all across the country have largely met their fate in the hands of armed forces and brave LEAs. But the battle is not over yet. Proxies from Afghanistan are posing serious threats to Pakistan and tracing Indian hand behind these coercive moves is not difficult at all .Indian hydro terrorism emerged as another strong factor to add in security concerns of Pakistan . It is not that Pakistan is spending too much on security by willfully compromising on much needed development of public sector . In reality , threats emerging from India have been compelling Pakistan to remain extra vigilant over genuine security concerns . Addition of nuclear arms in South Asian dynamics is also attributable to India which initiated her programmer in mid 70s with an obvious design to put Pakistan on mate . Nuclear explosions in 1998 by Pakistan was not a unilateral development rather a logical reaction to Indian aggressive posture adopted by then BJP government led by Attal Behari Vajpai . This phenomenon of pressurizing neighbors with military muscles is still prevailing on Indian side and Pakistan as usual falls short of options in such situations . Finally , a matching response in same coin is offered from Pakistan which definitely falls heavy on national exchequer and pinches the critics who usually craft the analysis in air conditioned drawing rooms in absolute isolation from ground facts . Arms race in South Asia , between India and Pakistan , can never be put at halt with out changing the mind set primarily on Indian side . Pakistan is a smaller country than India but strong enough to face Indian aggression . Fact of the day is that regional peace is threatened by Indian rapid investment on arms development . A major arms development facility is secretly operating in Challekere , Karnatka and reportedly it deals with nuclear arsenal being managed since long . As expected from India , this huge nuclear facility has never been disclosed officially for international inspections or routine reviews . Keeping in mind the past track record of India , it can be fairly assessed that arsenal being maintained in Challekere directly threatens Pakistan and also exposes Indian offensive designs towards China . It is hard to believe that USA has no clue about such a huge nuclear facility in South Asia . Most apparently an over look is being offered to India because of her enormous potential to deter Sino- Pak regional alignment . Avoiding clash or confrontation , in both conventional and unconventional fields , is essential for Pakistan . It remains an uphill task under the prevailing regional setting . Our newly elected government will be facing multiple challenges on regional front where India would be extra ordinarily active from eastern and western sides . A balance must be maintained while dealing with external security threats and internal governance problems . Contrary to the past dirty practices , ruling party and opposition should join hands on major national issues to safeguard the core interests . Though Pakistan should not initiate any step to accelerate arms race in the region but a matching response to Indian coercive moves must not be discarded on any account.
