ISLAMABAD – Former Defence Minister Lt Gen (R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi fearsthat possible return of Indian Prime Minister Narendra to power after theongoing elections in India would complicate the prognosis for peace betweenthe two nuclear armed neighbours (India and Pakistan).He was speaking at a discussion at Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on abook “India’s Surgical Strike Stratagem, Brinkmanship and Response”authored by Prof (Dr) Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, a renowned scholar on globalpolitics, nuclear proliferation and national security, who teaches atQuaid-e-Azam University.The book explains the constructs of India’s military doctrines, evolutionof the Indian military institution and doctrine, and use of sham ‘surgicalstrike’ by Modi as a potent political tool.It critically scrutinizes the operability of ‘Surgical Strike Stratagem’particularly in the context of Pulwama incident and examines the legalstatus of India’s so called ‘surgical strike’ operation under internationallaw.“If Modi returns to power the chances of peace would be bleak. There is allreason to believe that he (Modi) along with the likes of Ajit Doval andIndian Army Chief Bipin Rawat, especially after the damage to ego andreputation of their armed forces in recent Pulwama stand-off, wouldcontinue with their destabilizing attitude and keep stoking tensions,” GenLodhi believed.He feared there could also be escalation in the hybrid war that Pakistanhad been facing. Similarly, he said, Indian armed forces could attempt moresurgical strikes in a bid to make such actions as the new normal.The author of the book Dr Jaspal, speaking on this occasion, feared thatthe anti-Pakistan rhetoric was not just about elections. He worried as towhere Modi’s increasingly irrational behavior would lead the two countriesto and the region at large.He said that the most troublesome part of the post-Pulwama militarystand-off was that India mobilized its nuclear delivery vehicles and Moditurned up the nuclear rhetoric, but not only Western media andintellectuals remained silent on it, the local media too did not pick upthis nuclear dimension of the conflict.Dr Jaspal said he based his work on neutral literature and his own insightin the issue and presented a fresh perspective, which is not based onrhetoric but legal and international underpinnings.The author contended that India’s irrational behavior towards Pakistan wasfor strengthening BJP and Modi’s propaganda that Indian government’snational security approach is ‘without fetters,’ and Modi’s India wascapable of taking bold steps against nuclear Pakistan.Executive Director IPI Prof Sajjad Bokhari said India’s offensive rhetoricand aggressive international posturing poses an unprecedented challenge forPakistan’s security, and consequently for regional stability.
“While India is employing force in Kashmir, it is also politicisinginternational discourse at multilateral forums to the detriment ofPakistan. A case in point is on-going tensions over The Financial ActionTask Force, issue,” he said and emphasized that qualitative andquantitative modernization of conventional and strategic forces wascritical for Pakistan.
