ISLAMABAD – The technological development and the instant communicationpossibilities advanced not only economic and social developments, but alsoevolving threats from those who exploit the vulnerabilities ofcommunication and information systems. In the ever-evolving geopoliticalenvironments and pre-eminence of trends like economy, media, civil societyand, globalization, the scope of waging a sole conventional war is neitherfeasible nor cost effective.
This notion has given rise to the concept of Hybrid Warfare with theaccruing benefits of ambiguity, surprise and above all, cost efficiency. Inessence, Hybrid warfare is described as a shift away from a traditionalforce model, to an approach which combines military and non-military toolsin a deliberate and synchronized campaign to destabilize and gain politicalleverage over an opponent. Hybrid warfare widely understood as a blend ofconventional, unconventional, regular, irregular, information and cyberwarfare.
After the nuclearization of Pakistan, there has been a growing thinking inthe Indian military that a conventional war could be both untenable andcost prohibitive. This notion gave rise to hybrid war under the rubric ofnuclear weapons as the preferred strategy by India. There is growingevidence of hybrid warfare in the Indian strategy of pressuring Pakistanthrough media, subversion, cyber warfare and diplomatic maneuvers aimed atits isolation. The stipulated objective is weakening of Pakistan to theextent that it accepts Indian hegemony in the region and abandons itsprincipled stance on Kashmir and other key national policy issues.
The hybrid war that has been waged is not merely Pakistan-specific but isembedded in the regional geo-political gimmickries. Simultaneously, Indiawith the support of some other world players is fueling secessionistmovements in Balochistan and has created a ‘second front’ with Afghanistanthrough its political, economic clout and support for Tehreek-e-Taliban incarrying out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
India has grown proficient at using hybrid-warfare capabilities and tacticsto pursue its objectives in South Asian region since the end of Cold War.New Delhi typically operates below the threshold of conventional warfare,using a blend of military and paramilitary tools, including proxy forces,militants, separatists, cyber tools, and information operations to shapeand coerce neighboring states to its advantage. Consequently, Indiasucceeded against its small neighbors.
Nevertheless, Islamabad has been resisting New Delhi’s endeavors toestablish its hegemony in the region. India has been frequently violatingthe Line of Control. No ethics within the military domain allow firing onthe civilians’ working or moving near the border during the peacetime. TheIndian forces intentionally target the civilians to cause a fear in theregion. They justify their firing by claiming that they are preventinginfiltration of the militants. They intelligently misguide theinternational media by sharing with them erroneous facts.
Premier Narendra Modi has openly expressed his earnest desire to isolatePakistan. His Hindu fundamentalist associates in the cabinet have beenhatching conspiracies to bleed Pakistan. Nevertheless, the people ofPakistan and their friends courageously defy the evil designs of the Indianruling elite. India as a policy imperative, keeping in view post-nuclearPakistan and the recent reality of CPEC, has waged a hybrid war againstPakistan, supported by a superpower and other regional players. This callsfor national cohesion, effective governance to alleviate genuine demands ofthe population, authentic intelligence setups and a coordination mechanismat a national level to harness all elements of national power.
The transformative nature of warfare necessitates revamping in its nationalsecurity strategy. Thus, the situation warrants that Government ought tochalk out a grand strategy or a compressive strategy involving the entirenation to combat the current and potential threats of Hybrid warfare.Hence, developing an institutional mechanism to keep on calibrating andgenerating response as per changing situations and challenges as apre-requisite to counter the hybrid war being faced by Pakistan.
The writer is a Assistant Research Officer (ARO) at Islamabad PolicyResearch Institute (IPRI).
There is growing evidence of hybrid warfare in the Indian strategy ofpressuring Pakistan through media, subversion, cyber warfare and diplomaticmaneuvers aimed at its isolation.
By: Sajjad Haider