NEW DELHI – Let alone China, India cannot even win a war against Pakistan.And this has nothing to do with the possession of nuclear weapons…”, thisis how Indian authors Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab start their recentlypublished book Dragon On Our Doorstep: Managing China Through Military Power.Striking! A book – ostensibly coming as an advice for Indian policymakersthat how New Delhi should manage a raising China, militarily and otherwise– starts with Pakistan.
The authors argue that while India has “focused on building militaryforce”, which means amassing troops, weapons and other military hardware,what Pakistan has opted for is to build “military power” meaning “optimalutilization of [Pakistan’s] military force.
The authors further stress that “… the road to managing an assertive Chinaruns through Pakistan – both strategically and militarily.”
The duo concede that Indian efforts – especially those of the incumbentModi regime over past three years – aimed at diplomatically isolatingPakistan have been rendered as futile, maintaining that “Pakistan today isbeing sought after by the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan, the Central Asian Republics and the littoral countries ofSouth Asia.
It has emerged as a critical geopolitical pivot on the Eurasian chessboard.”
They further add: “India, on the other hand, remains an important butcertainly not geostrategic player.”
“Whether we like it or not, the path to India becoming a leading power isthrough Pakistan,” assert the two experts.