Recalling Indian Misadventure And Smear Campaigns – OpEd

The month of February has a distinctive significance in terms of the events that occurred in history and the ones that are currently taking place. The month is currently witnessing a conflict between Russia and Ukraine having international relevance. Similarly, in February 2019, an identical event took place between India and Pakistan that escalated to a level of small-scale war and ended with the domination of Pakistan.

The dream of the Indian establishment and its defense forces to establish a new normal was ruined by Pakistan Air Force. Indian designs of establishing hegemony in the region come from the extremist kautilyan doctrine followed by India. The war-mongering attitude of India faced a shameful defeat on February 27^th,2019 remembered as the “Surprise day”.

Indian CPRF personnel was attacked on February 14^th, 2019 killing 40 of them at Pulwama. The attack was immediately blamed on Pakistan without any proper investigation. It was later exposed when the Wire news disclosed WhatsApp chats between the CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council and anchorperson Arnab Goswami. Indian media and Indian Intelligence creating a cacus belli using the blame game invaded Pakistan’s airspace on February 26^th, 2019. The invasion was made at night and the Indian fighter jets dropped their payloads in Pakistani territory for a swift escape. As a result, not more than 15 Pine trees got damaged. 

The response from Pakistan in the shape of operation Swift Retort was both comprehensive and proportional. Pakistani fighter jets invaded Indian airspace and in a dogfight downed two fighter jets of India. The air raid from Pakistan also locked sensitive sites inside India but the bombs were not dropped on the actual targets with careful maneuvers. An Indian fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan whose jet was shot, ejected, and was captured by Pakistan Army. The outcomes from the operation were mind-boggling. It clarified the abilities and will of Pakistan’s armed forces. While, on the other hand, it also showed the incompetency of Indian defense equipment and its flawed human resource. 

Indian establishment with a massive disinformation campaign tried to hide the international embarrassment faced by the hands of Pakistan. They spread fake news that Abhinandan shot down an F-16. It was later affirmed by the US that all Pakistani F-16s were accounted for and none were missing. The misadventure of the Indian establishment brought international disgrace to its people and later blamed it on the lack of modern fighter aircraft.

Indians have tried to make such events a new normal. Such misadventures of India have become a norm that is covertly meant for providing the sitting government with political gains. The parliament attack in 2001, Mumbai attack in 2008, Pathankot attack in 2016, and all such related events were part of a strategic maneuver executed by Indian governments to gather sentiments of Indian people for increasing their vote bank. India has put regional stability and international peace at stake multiple times for a populist image defying the notion of peace and stability. Such an approach for mare political gains can bring chaos not only to the region but also the whole world. 

The current Indian government following the extremist ideology of Hindutva has made the region a hub of rivalry and a nuclear flashpoint. The fallacious Indian belief of becoming the regional hegemon while having a war-loving approach has put international peace under a serious threat. Pakistan on the other hand has always followed a defensive approach by making sure that every Indian aggression must be reciprocated with a similar proactive response staying under the threshold. 

The sinister designs of the Indian establishment are a reason of worry for the International community. Operation swift retort following Balakot strikes was a major blow for them. The loopholes in the procurement process of defense equipment and the flawed human resource is a major concern for Indian forces. They have realized that they are far below the level of proficiency Pakistan’s armed forces possess. This realization has further threatened the stability-instability paradox of the region because of the heavy investment by India in defense procurements promoting militarization. 

All the aforementioned Indian efforts to jeopardize international peace have been proven with solid evidence. The EU DisinfoLab report is one such proof that discloses the Indian endeavors to spread disinformation against its enemies mainly Pakistan and China. Such irresponsible attempts to vandalize its peaceful neighbors have serious consequences. The international community must put efforts to make India realize its mistakes to bring peace to the region.   

*About Author: Humais Sheikh has done his Masters in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad. He is ex. Vice President of Defence and Strategic Studies Student’s Society.