Pakistan developed and tested nuclear weapons for deterrence purposes. All its nuclear weapons including that of sophisticated delivery systems bolstered with emerging technologies are India-centric. In fact, India-specificity remains the linchpin of Pakistan’s nuclear policy since the very inception of nuclearization of South Asia initiated first by its adversary India. Unlike India, Pakistan does not aspire for a regional and global hegemony. It does not have to be in hubris.

Unlike India, Pakistan does not have any nuclear theft records

It does not challenge the security of major powers such as the US and many European countries through its expanded ranges of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Its nuclear forces are in the safe and secure hands. Unlike India, Pakistan does not have any nuclear theft records. India has many, but the world remains elusive of India’s safety and security of its nuclear technology. This is alarming. Many consider that India is becoming a global security threat.

Still, one wonders why the world community remains silent when it comes to India’s hegemonic designs for escalation dominance, increasing its conventional and nuclear forces, becoming the world’s leading arms importing countries, involved in creating proxies for heinous crimes, terrorism, and cowardly attacks not only in Pakistan, but across the globe and making terrorism as a pretext for carrying out preventive strikes against a sovereign and independent Pakistan.

All in its delusion, India considers Pakistan to be a weak and likely to be a failed state thereby with its increasing conventional superiority and nuclear forces, India gets tempted to carry out preventive strikes. It proves to be India’s illusion. Such hubris and temptation are fraught with failure like it failed in the more recent India-Pakistan crisis.

India is not only creating crisis instability, arms race, and risk of escalation, but also engulfing the entire region for nuclear weapon use, which will have global consequences

This is India’s dangerous confidence dragging India into a commitment trap the consequences of which India may face like never before. Many serious and leading scholars consider that it would not benefit India in any case. India is not only creating crisis instability, arms race, and risk of escalation, but also engulfing the entire region for nuclear weapon use, which will have global consequences. Following are important imperatives for India, Pakistan and the international community more especially the US:

First, the Indian masses and its security leadership must prevent Modi who is using terrorism as a pretext for his political objectives while risking the lives of billions in Asia. Modi must be ousted from power by the Indian masses themselves. They should understand the aggressive Hindutva ideology led by Modi along with his warmongering cabinet members that is not in the supreme interest of India and its relations with the global community.

India should also accept the quality and credibility of Pakistan nuclear weapons and the related delivery systems, all specific to India

The Indian security leadership needs to accept Pakistan’s conventional force capabilities supported by the new technologies. This was demonstrated in the recent India-Pakistan conflict. India should also accept the quality and credibility of Pakistan nuclear weapons and the related delivery systems, all specific to India. They deter India every day. It has become a reality that India cannot deny even if it needs to appease its masses for winning an election.

Second, it is important for Pakistan that it continues to retain full spectrum deterrence falling under the ambit of credible minimum deterrence while covering multi-domain warfare tactics. It needs to acquire sophisticated newer technologies to enhance its conventional force capability. In addition to practicing strategies such as dispersal, sheltering, hardening, and concealment, Pakistan realizes that speed, remote sensing, pinpoint accuracy, and appropriate ranges would potentially avoid vulnerabilities.

Unlike India’s preventive strike strategies, the proposed political and diplomatic dialogue will be useful for the two nuclear rivals for managing and resolving a number of issues

Despite India’s unwillingness and rejection of a number of Pakistan’s peaceful proposals, Pakistan needs to urge India for a mutual dialogue by restoring confidence building measures. Unlike India’s preventive strike strategies, the proposed political and diplomatic dialogue will be useful for the two nuclear rivals for managing and resolving a number of issues.

Third, the international community more importantly the US needs to urge India that its strategies for preventive strikes are flawed risking dangerous military escalation to a nuclear level that may not benefit India what it may perceive of. Despite the longstanding managerial role of the US in South Asia, the US needs to continue its balancing role in South Asia. Siding one against the other may not be a viable strategy for the US geoeconomic and geopolitical interest in the region.

The US needs to understand the changing behavior of India that has become a revisionist state while challenging the status-quo

The US needs to understand the changing behavior of India that has become a revisionist state while challenging the status-quo. This does not only harm the geostrategic interest of the US and its allies in South Asia, but it may push the US away from the Indian-Ocean region since India considers the Indian Ocean as India’s ocean. It is a wake-up call for the international community.

India must realize that it is dialogue, not preventive strikes that ultimately will define a roadmap for a stable South Asia

Finally, one hopes that better sense prevails, and the South Asian rivals are urged to resume dialogue to manage and resolve outstanding issues including that of longstanding issue of Kashmir. India must realize that it is dialogue, not preventive strikes that ultimately will define a roadmap for a stable South Asia.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.