Tough stance by Modi raises risk of war with Pakistan: NYT

WASHINGTON: As an opposition leader, Narendra Modi was a vocal critic of India’s government for not responding more forcefully to cross-border attacks from militants based in Pakistan. As prime minister, Modi has not shied away from openly retaliating in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir against the militants and stirring up nationalist passions. Now, with his tough stance, there are growing concerns that Modi may have narrowed his options, raising the risks of war with India’s nuclear-armed rival, Pakistan, The New York Times said in a report. Experts are worried about what India will do when allegedly Pakistan-based militants carry out another attack in India, as is almost certain. And how will Pakistan respond? “We’re not at the point of no return, but we are in very dangerous waters,” said Bruce Riedel, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who served in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where he advised several American presidents on South Asia. “When we get to the next terror attack, which is probably only a matter of time, the prime minister has boxed himself in, and he can’t take the route his predecessors did and choose to use solely diplomatic alternatives without some loss of face,” Riedel said. That frenzy, stoked by the Indian news media, “is in danger of pushing India into conflict,” said Myra McDonald, the author of ‘Defeat Is an Orphan: How Pakistan Lost the Great South Asian War’. “The Pakistani military would be forced to retaliate in the event of a more prominent strike,” in part to guard its image as the ever-vigilant protector of Pakistan, said retired Lt Colonel Ajay Shukla, who writes about defence. “The big danger here is once you get started up the escalation ladder, how do you cool it off?” Riedel said. “I’m scared,” Shukla said. “We’re not Israel bullying Gaza or the US with Haiti. We’re the fourth-biggest army confronting the 11th-biggest army.”