Pakistan to bleed India through 1000 cuts.

Pakistan’s defeat in 1971 war and it’s dismemberment that resulted in the formation of a new nation state – Bangladesh, left her embarrassed and humiliated. It was on 16th Dec, 1971 that Pakistani army led by Gen. Niazi had surrendered to his Indian counterpart General J.S. Aurora. Pakistan not only lost the war but had failed to dent India’s secular credentials that undermined the very basis of Pakistan’s existence as an Islamic state. Secondly, Pakistan was also reeling under the burden of not having it’s own cultural identity, different from India’s and this seems to have antagonized her to such an extent that in the post war era, it has tried to dent India’s economic growth and cultural identity with state sponsored terrorism.
Pakistani General Zia propounded the philosophy of “Bleed India through 1000 cuts”, as Pakistan had promised not to enter in a direct war with India. Thus, Pakistan has been waging a proxy war against India in form of the following:
a. Financing and supporting the separatist forces in Kashmir.
b. Training of terrorists and financing terror activities on Indian soil.
c. Radicalisation of youth by resorting to hate speeches against India.
d. Providing drugs and contraband psychotropic substances to youths on India side of border as in Gurdaspur.
e. Printing and pushing fake Indian Rupee currency notes in India.
f. Pushing terrorists in India via Nepal’s porous border with India.
g. Arms trafficking.

Pakistan justifies this proxy war as a holy war (jihad) and has made the destruction of India’s secular credentials as raison d’être for it’s existence.

Impact on India:
India incurs a heavy military expenditure on it’s armed forces to keep them combat ready on it’s border with Pakistan. This money could have been used for raising social infrastructure and to ameliorate poverty.
Secondly, the disturbance in law and order hampers the growth of economic activity and causes loss of employment opportunities, which could have raised India’s per capita income.
State sponsored terrorism has adversely affected tourism in Kashmir valley and is causing loss of potential foreign exchange earnings.
The rift between the two brothers – India & Pakistan, is being capitalized upon by countries like China and USA to further their own economic agendas. USA wants Pakistan to act as an ally in war against global terrorism so as to provide a robust market to it’s domestic arms manufacturers, and China on the other hand wants Pakistan to provide access to the Arabian Sea thereby avoiding the disputed maritime route passing through South China Sea.
Pakistan along with it’s ally –China, has blocked India’s sincere efforts to get a permanent seat at UNSC and membership to Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG).

By: Abhinav