There’s no silver bullet solution to Pak-sponsored terror; Politicisation will constrict choices

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There’s no silver bullet solution to Pak-sponsored terror; Politicisation will constrict choices
Putting an end to Pakistani terror militarily would require an all-out war to give it a crushing blow — entailing a heavy economic cost, totally disproportionate to the threat posed by it.
Written by Sharat Sabharwal | Updated: March 7, 2019

The Balakot airstrike has resulted in euphoria reminiscent of the days following the surgical strikes of 2016, with tall claims figuring in our national discourse. Even as we salute our Air Force, it is essential to separate the grain from the chaff, and appraise our actions post-Pulwama.

Our diplomatic effort was a success. Though our government’s goal of isolating Pakistan was unrealistic because of the interests of major countries in Pakistan, our diplomacy secured widespread condemnation of the Pulwama terror attack, ensured no sympathy for Pakistan against our pre-emptive strike (barring the ritualistic and inconsequential condemnation by the OIC Contact Group), and, also resulted in the quick return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Further results, if any, in making Pakistan address our terror concerns meaningfully are yet to be seen.

Withdrawal of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, though justified strictly in terms of reciprocity, mirrored Pakistan’s short-sightedness in hurting the interests of its consumers by restricting imports from India over the years. Pakistan’s exports to India being less than two per cent of its global annual exports, the move may hurt their exporters individually, but will not change the calculus of their security establishment. It will hurt our consumers by obliging them to pay a higher cost for Pakistan’s goods because of the significant tariff hike or import those goods from further afield paying a higher freight.

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/deconstructing-a-face-off-balakot-airstrike-pakistan-terrorism-5614486/