Chinese military strategist and philosopher San Tzu said that “to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”.
Warfare has developed as our generations have evolved. The first generation of warfare depended on manpower, horses and swords. It was later further developed with the introduction of muskets and culminated in the Napoleonic wars.
The second generation of warfare used firepower and was dominated by artillery and air. The third generation is known for its manoeuvrability, introduced by Germans during the Second World War, with the concept of Blitzkrieg (lightening).
The fourth generation included non-conventional strategies, used to fight a conventional army. The aim was to collapse the army internally rather than physically attack it.
Today’s world is faced with the fifth generation warfare and hybrid warfare. Fifth generation warfare is also known as non-contact warfare, where you destroy targets without a human directly seeing the activity. This warfare is locally organised and sponsored, and it stems from some ideology or cause.
In case of hybrid warfare, it is a military strategy that employs political, conventional, irregular and cyber warfare with other factors to destabilise a country. Today, Pakistan is confronted with these both fifth generation and hybrid warfare.
India has still not accepted Pakistan’s existence as its foreign policy is Pakistan-centric and it is always busy hatching conspiracies to damage Pakistan. Soon after independence, India saw three wars with Pakistan, which were followed by the Kargil and war at Siachen.
At present too India is continuously violating ceasefire agreements by resorting to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary. India’s aim and objective is to damage Pakistan not only from the eastern side but also through the western border, via its proxies based in Afghanistan.
It was in 1986 when India carried out a largescale army exercise Brasstacks in Rajasthan to exhibit its might against Pakistan. In the late 80s, the than India army chief general Sundarji introduced a new kind of operation, which is known as the Sundarji doctrine. The concept was to deploy all holding corps along the western border with Pakistan and then strike deep inside Pakistan to destroy Pakistani troops.
In 2004, India introduced yet another strategy known as Cold Start. It was basically a limited war strategy designed to seize Pakistani territory swiftly without risking a nuclear conflict. In this doctrine, operations could be undertaken within 48 hours of the orders being issued, enabling Indian troops to take Pakistan by surprise.
India has not stopped its efforts at all. India is funding and arming Baloch miscreants and the same has been confirmed by their national security advisor in a speech. In 2009, Pakistan handed over to India a comprehensive dossier of her involvement in Balochistan. India is all out to destabilise Balochistan to prevent China and Pakistan from using Gwadar port. The recent capture of Kulbushan Jadhav shows a deep involvement of India in the province.
India has already launched a Balochi language radio service to incite Baloch youth against Pakistan. Baloch insurgent leaders are frequently seen visiting India to coordinate their future course of action on the direction of their masters. Recently, former Indian army chief general VK Singh admitted that India sponsored bomb blasts in Pakistan and also provided funds to Baloch separatists.
India has already launched a Balochi language radio service to incite Baloch youth against Pakistan. Baloch insurgent leaders are frequently seen visiting India to coordinate their future course of action on the direction of their masters. Recently, former Indian army chief general VK Singh admitted that India sponsored bomb blasts in Pakistan and also provided funds to Baloch separatists
After Mumbai attacks, a Tactical Support Division (TSD) has been created on Singh’s orders. It was used to settle scores on both sides of LoC as confirmed by India Today. TSD claimed to enrol secessionists from Balochistan to carryout bomb blasts in Balochistan and the rest of the country. India has been working on hybrid warfare techniques to bleed Pakistan.
India is also involved in fuelling the sectarian divide between Sunnis and Shias. This is done through its proxies operating on Afghani soil by killing Hazaras, innocent people in Parachinar, etc. These are examples of this agenda, which aims to create disharmony and mistrust between the two communities.
The recently created Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) is another example in this regard. It appears to be a planned and organised movement, and not spontaneous at all. PTM is duly supported by western media, which is convincing locals to stand against the army and ISI.
The sword of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)is also hanging over our heads. FATF is a global task force formed to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and all other illegal activities related to international financing. In case Pakistan is included in FATF’s grey list it will have adverse effects on Pakistan. Selling Pakistan’s viewpoint abroad has become increasingly difficult because of failure of diplomacy and absence of effective intellectuals. Unfortunately, no one is acknowledging Pakistan sacrifices on the war on terror.
A lot is going wrong for Pakistan at the moment. Even TV channels are continuously airing Indian content to promote their culture, which is contrary to the ideology of Pakistan. Movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan are advocating no borders, but simultaneously proposing that the creation of Pakistan was wrong to begin with.
Former general Asad Durrani and former Indian chief AS Dulat’s Spy Chronicles pushes the idea of an Akhand Bharat, and Durani talks of a confederation in South Asia. While on the other hand, Afghanistan has also pushed the idea of a ‘Pukhtunistan’, and never acknowledged the Durand Line. The two countries are keeping Pakistan busy at its borders, with threats coming in from every side.
Recently, Indian media even began trying to push the idea of an uprising in Gilgit-Baltistan by pushing video clips of ‘unrest’. However, the Awami Action Committee of Gilgit Baltistan denied allegations by Indian media that the recent strikes were against Pakistan and clarified that they were against new taxes.
All the recent issues that Pakistan has been facing prove that money is not the objective of fifth generation and hybrid war. The target is the Pakistani army and the ISI.
Pakistan’s army chief has already warned of a hybrid war being imposed on Pakistan to internally weaken it while addressing a passing out parade in Kakul. He added that they cannot beat us fair and square and therefore subject us to a cruel, evil and protracted hybrid war.
He rightly said that the armed forces, with the support of the people of Pakistan, will not let the ulterior motives succeed. The need of the hour is to protect national unity and ideology.
The writer is a retired commissioner of the Afghan Refugees Organization, Balochistan
Published in Daily Times, June 28th 2018.