‘Make no mistake, Pakistan is well defended’

Though Indian media has for the most part adopted a jingoistic stance in the aftermath of Uri attack, sane voices in the industry have tried to drill some sense into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s head.

Among them is Swagato Ganguly, an Indian journalist associated with Times of India , who on Friday advised Modi not to repeat the same mistake which former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru committed before Sino-Indian war in 1962.

Indian army had to lick its own wounds when China responded in befitting manner to New Delhi’s aggression in 1962 along the country’s Himalayan border.

There have been much talk in India about “surgical strike” against Pakistan but Mr Ganguly had an advice for the government on that account too. “Make no mistake: Pakistan is well-defended, India could end up losing many men and Modi with egg on his face,” he wrote.

He said while India lacks a security culture, Pakistanis cultivate both attack and defence capabilities. “India cannot wake up one day and knock Pakistan cold,” he said.

The Indian journalist wrote that significant degradation of Pakistani military assets in all-out war is not possible for a host of reasons: He thinks nuclear threat will be mobilized sooner than later within China ready to intervene.