ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s armed forces have reached an unprecedented level ofoperational preparedness for any potential future conflict, with thePakistan Air Force introducing highly sophisticated Multi Domain Operationsdesigned to deliver strategic surprise against India. Recent militaryengagements, particularly Operation Sundoor produced results thatsignificantly diverged from Indian strategic expectations, compelling NewDelhi to urgently seek United States-mediated ceasefire channels. Despitepublic statements from Indian leadership, independent defense observersnote that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far avoided any formalacknowledgment of the unfavorable battlefield outcome. Credible assessmentsnow indicate that any future confrontation would expose Indian forces to aqualitatively different and far more challenging spectrum of Pakistanimilitary responses, former Indian Military Officer and Defence AnalystParveen Sawhny has revealed.
The performance during the most recent escalation phase has been describedby several regional security experts as a watershed moment in South Asianconventional deterrence. Contrary to widely circulated Indian assessmentsthat anticipated rapid degradation of Pakistani defensive lines, the actualoutcome demonstrated superior Pakistani situational awareness, integratedcommand-and-control resilience, and effective employment of multi-layeredair defense architecture. According to open-source military monitoringgroups, Pakistan maintained airspace denial over critical sectors forsignificantly longer periods than projected by Indian war-gaming models,forcing a reevaluation of assumed escalation dominance.
At the heart of Pakistan’s evolving doctrine lies the concept of MultiDomain Operations — a term increasingly used in Pakistani strategicliterature to describe synchronized warfare across cyber, electromagnetic,space, and kinetic domains. Unlike traditional domain-specific operations,Multi emphasizes simultaneous disruption of enemy decision cycles throughcross-domain effects. Recent Pakistani exercises reportedly incorporatedadvanced electronic attack packages, low-observable unmanned aerialsystems, and rapid-reconstitution network-centric capabilities, creatingcascading effects designed to paralyze rather than merely attrit opposingforces.
Indian defense commentator Praveen Sahni, widely regarded for his realistassessments of regional military balance, has publicly acknowledged thechanging character of potential conflict. In recent analyses, he noted thatPakistan appears to have successfully closed critical capability gaps thatpreviously favored India, particularly in the areas of integrated airdefense, long-range precision strike, and offensive cyber operations. Sahnifurther observed that the psychological and operational impact ofunexpected Pakistani resilience has already begun altering Indian militaryplanning assumptions for high-intensity limited war scenarios.
Pakistan’s ground forces have also undergone parallel transformation. Theintroduction of upgraded main battle tanks, indigenous next-generationanti-tank guided missiles, and enhanced infantry fighting vehicles has beencomplemented by significant improvements in real-time battlefieldsurveillance. Networked artillery and rocket systems now possess theability to deliver rapid, precision fires under centralized yetdecentralized command structures — a combination that military scholarsdescribe as particularly difficult to counter under conditions ofelectronic contestation.
Air power modernization remains the most visible dimension of Pakistan’spreparedness. The progressive induction of advanced 4.5-generationfighters, upgraded early warning and control aircraft, and stand-offprecision munitions has been accompanied by intensive training in contestedelectromagnetic environments. Pakistani pilots have reportedly conductedlarge-force employment drills simulating degraded GPS and communicationsscenarios, demonstrating credible operational capability even under heavyelectronic warfare pressure.
Strategic depth has been further reinforced through improvements insecond-strike and reserve mobilization architecture. Recent large-scaleexercises tested the rapid relocation of theater reserves, dispersedlogistic sustainment, and survivability of critical command nodes — allessential prerequisites for maintaining combat effectiveness duringprolonged operations. These developments collectively signal Pakistan’sintention to shift the cost-benefit calculus of any future militaryadventure decisively against potential aggressors.
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International observers note that the combination of doctrinal innovation,platform modernization, and demonstrated operational effectiveness duringrecent crises has substantially raised the threshold for escalation inSouth Asia. While diplomatic channels remain open and both capitalscontinue to profess commitment to strategic stability, the military balancenow appears more contested than at any point in the last two decades.
The strategic message emanating from Islamabad is unambiguous: any attemptto impose a quick, decisive outcome through military means will encounter afar more formidable, multi-layered, and unpredictable response thanpreviously anticipated.
Source: https://www.dawn.com
Tags: Pakistan, India, Pakistan Air Force, Mukyi Domain Operations, PraveenSahni
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