- NSA Doval suggested that India, for so long, has been very defensive, and this has to change and go for an offensive strategy, where you don’t just defend yourself but also attack.
- It is very important for India to first understand who those people are and who are the ones helping Pakistan from within.
- The Indian government needs not only to stabilise its internal house but also to learn contemporary modern warfare tactics that can be used to protect and safeguard its interests.
Since Modi became the Prime Minister of India, there has been an eminent focus given to the security of the country. One of the reasons for this is the people included under the administration of Prime Minister Modi, who have been tasked with the security of the nation. The experience brought in by figures like National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has influenced the shaping of India’s current national security strategy. He came out with a new strategy called the “Defensive Offensive Strategy”.
India has, for a long time, been a country that believes in peace and prosperity, and does not necessarily enter into any other country’s territory. However, despite this stance, India has always been a victim of state-sponsored attacks by Pakistan and increasing pace of geopolitics, which includes many other countries. For a country that looks for peace, it is important that India needs a new strategy, and that is how NSA Doval came out with the Defensive Offensive Strategy.
NSA Doval suggested that India, for so long, has been very defensive. Even if the Indian defence has been very good, in defence, you cannot attack the enemy. He used an example that even if you can shield yourself from 90% of attacks, 10% of the attacks would still fall upon you. So you have to change it and go for an offensive strategy, where you don’t just defend yourself but also attack. This has been the very strategy recently adopted by the Indian government against Pakistan.
From the beginning, it sounds like a valid strategy, and it has also created a sense of deterrence for India. One of the examples of this was seen back in 2019 when India conducted a surgical strike against Pakistan. However, one of the bigger questions that comes up is: for how long can this policy be continued, and against whom should this policy be used?
Pakistan, a country facing great economic problems and political instability, is a country that remains very active militarily because it is run by military power itself. It is a democracy only on paper, whose democratic spirit has never been replicated on the ground.
Now, if India goes for a Defensive Offensive Strategy, it is very clear that there would be a question of sacrifice. How much can civilians sacrifice, how much the army can sacrifice, and how many resources the country can sacrifice? More importantly, this strategy also has to be balanced with the other goals of the country because, at the end of the day, war cannot be the primary goal of a country. A country has to think about development, scientific innovation, and progress.
This is something that India looks for. India’s view is more humanitarian in its approach. India obviously protects its borders and would not compromise on that, but on the other hand, India is also concerned about civilian safety, army protection, and balancing the country’s overall growth. So you cannot blame the Indian government for that. But there is this conundrum that always remains with the Indian government in the Defensive Offensive Strategy.
The point is that Pakistan does not face such a conundrum. It is not that Pakistan has been able to solve its problems — no — but the reason why Pakistan doesn’t have this problem is because it doesn’t have any development aspirations. It is a non-humanitarian country. It does not look after its civilian population, it does not look towards development, it does not look for progress. Its very existence is based on its hatred against India. Historically, this is the very reason for Pakistan’s creation.
Therefore, the question that should be asked and introspected by the strategic community in India is: for how long is the policy of Defensive Offensive efficient? There is a saying that if you want to swim with a dolphin in a river, you cannot reach your destination if you behave like a crocodile. In place of this, India needs to come out with a much greater strategy against Pakistan, because it cannot be effective against Pakistan using its own plot. The reality is that the Pakistani army functions more like a mercenary unit, fighting for whoever offers them money.
This is evident in the so-called War on Terror in Afghanistan, where Pakistan supported the United States, not because Pakistan was interested in removing terrorism, but because it was being given money by the United States. Pakistan sacrificed many of its people in Afghanistan and also within its own country, but saved its military units. Meanwhile, the Pakistani military learned the art of covert operations and expanded its hybrid warfare capabilities, involving operations with the CIA and other European agencies inside Pakistan.
Therefore, what is very important for India is to first stabilize itself internally. We need to understand that while Pakistan without a doubt is a problem, it is more like a snake in a snakes-and-ladders game. It is a snake that offers ideas, and the syndicates of Pakistan operating inside India offer the ladder.
It is very important for India to first understand who those people are and who are the ones helping Pakistan from within. After the abrogation of Article 370, no doubt that terrorism inside Jammu and Kashmir has reduced. But the question is: has love and respect towards India in Jammu and Kashmir increased? This should be the very question.
Jammu and Kashmir is the only place where both the victims and perpetrators of terrorism can hold marches for both sides. The internal unit needs to understand that the problem of Kashmir has not been solved. The problem of Kashmir will not be solved until and unless the original cultural and demographic balance of Kashmir is restored. Only then, along with anti-terrorist operations and fighting against Pakistan, will true integration be possible.
This is where the role of the Information and Broadcasting Department becomes crucial. There are many Pakistani syndicates operating across the globe, running anti-India campaigns. The Indian government needs to develop a good medium of communication, spreading the right information. Thus, the Indian government needs not only to stabilise its internal house but also to learn contemporary modern warfare tactics that can be used to protect and safeguard its interests.
Aayush Pal is a freelance writer on contemporary geopolitical developments. The views expressed in his work are entirely his own.
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