LONDON: Indian Army needs to learn from Pakistan Army, says former IndianArmy General on hybrid warfare.
A former General of Indian Army, Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain hascommended the Pakistan Army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations(ISPR) for adopting an outstanding strategy in the domain of hybrid warfare.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the International Institute of StrategicStudies in London, he acknowledged that ISPR outclassed the Indian army inthe information war.
He said: “I give full marks to Pakistan for the manner in which it hasplayed out the information strategy. The ISPR did outstanding work forPakistan.”
The retired officer who also served as the general officer commandingIndian Army’s 15 Corps in Occupied Kashmir, said that ISPR brilliantlyperformed its work for Pakistan by ensuring the complete alienation ofKashmiris against Indian armed forces.
He said he was aware of the fact that the Pulwama-like incident isinevitable due to the Indian government’s lack of understanding of theconflict.
He added that in India “everyone knows what the ISI is but nobody knowswhat the ISPR is” and only military professionals know about the ISPR.
The concept of hybrid warfare is not yet understood in India and the rulershave failed to understand that hybrid war can only be fought by hybridretaliation and not through conventional forms, he said.
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Giving the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan, he said that Americs has spentbillions of dollars on its military interventions there but it could notachieve the desired result. “Hybrid in Iraq and Afghanistan should havebeen fought by hybrid, but hybrid was fought by going conventional,” heargued.
Advising India to “take a leaf out of Pakistan’s strategy”, he said thatIndia has made many mistakes but one of the biggest ones has been about the“the Military-Civic Action (MCA)”.
“The MCA is not soft power. It’s not psychological. In 30 years, Indian hasmade many mistakes as far as its strategy is concerned but one of the majormistakes is to think that the MCA is a psychological operation, it’sinformation operation. It’s not,” he said.
“If anyone has taught us how to play information operation it’s the ISPR ofPakistan who have done it marvelously, I would like to give it back tothem, always. Credit to them.”
Speaking about occupied Kashmir, he said, “From 2012 onwards Pakistan gotupper hand and the change of the generation and social media made all thedifference. We didn’t know how to carry the information side of things butPakistan has done it extremely well.”
Blaming the Modi administration for the February 15 suicide attackin occupied Kashmir, the former Indian Army’s General added the use offorce could not solve the Kashmir dispute, and India would eventually cometo give up the muscular power in Occupied Kashmir.
