Pakistan only understands the language of force
There are not enough words to condemn the Pakistan Army's beheading of two Indian jawans near the borders. Indeed, words are no longer needed; action is. The Indian Armed Force will without doubt act and act forcefully to avenge the brutality of the Pakistani rogue Army. Already it has vowed to strike at a time and place of its choosing. The destruction of a Pakistani outpost is only a first small step. But more importantly, the Government of India must move decisively. Mere verbal condemnations and tributes to the bravery of our jawans will not suffice. New Delhi has done more than enough in the last three years of the Modi regime to try and establish normal relations with Pakistan. But Islamabad, in harmony with Rawalpindi, has refused to honour that gesture. Either the Nawaz Sharif Government lacks the will or it is complicit in the developments that damage bilateral ties. Whatever the case may be, it is Pakistan's problem and we cannot allow its internal issues to determine our response. It would be a matter of disgrace for India if it allows the sacrifice of our soldiers to go in vain.
The Modi regime had considered appropriate responses over the months, and a few strong ones were taken — the surgical strikes in the wake of the Uri terrorist attack was one such. But they have clearly proved insufficient. Pakistan continues to walk the path of using terror as a state policy. There are reports that the terror camps which India had demolished in the surgical strikes, have again come up and it is business as usual there. The beheading of Indian jawans by members of Pakistan Army's border action teams (BATs) came hours after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the line of Control, and there are reports that he ordered the strike in retaliation to an Indian attack in April that had eliminated more than half a dozen Pakistan soldiers. Even if this were so, the beheading was against all norms of civilised conduct of warfare. But then, Pakistan Army is a rogue organisation and it has a record of brutality; bodies of Indian soldiers had been mutilated before, and going back into history, the Pakistan Army's conduct in what was then east Pakistan, is on record. This is besides what it has been doing in Balochistan through violent suppression of people’s will.
The question, therefore, is: What must India do nowIJ Structured talks already stand suspended and diplomatic exchanges are at a bare minimum. A higher level of surgical strike is called for in the first place. This must go beyond symbolicism. How and when and to what extent, are issues that are best left to the Indian Armed Forces. But the results have to be more lasting. There is no point in pulling punches. The non-military arena offers a wide range of possibilities which must be not just explored but acted upon without delay. One, New Delhi must withdraw the Most Favoured Nation status from Pakistan and cease all trade with that country. Also, it must hit where it hurts the most, by tightening its position on the sharing of Indus river water. It should also actively consider strong diplomatic measures such as downgrading its High Commission in Islamabad. Back-channel efforts have been a waste. let's not delude ourselves into believing they will work without India flexing its muscles.