What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1 : Vigilance, more than Before

Context: India-Pakistan Ceasefire Dynamics and Strategic Implications

India-Pakistan Ceasefire Dynamics

• Ceasefire Declaration (May 10): Mutually agreed but violated within hours. Strategic decision prioritized over procedural violations.
• Pro-Escalation Argument: Belief in India’s capacity to inflict severe military damage on Pakistan.
• Pro-Ceasefire View
  • Modern warfare lacks guaranteed outcomes and conflicts are hard to terminate (e.g. Kargil War 1999).
  • Risk of a prolonged war is detrimental to India’s interests despite capability to sustain it.

India’s Strategic Military Response

• Controlled Escalation
  • Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS): Bought time for precise planning and execution.
  • Kinetic Strikes: Targeted terror hubs (e.g. Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sialkot) with minimal collateral damage.
  • Suspended Indus Waters Treaty: Indirect pressure on Pakistan’s Punjab province.
• Technological and Tactical Demonstration
  • Penetration of Air Defence: Exposed vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s electronic grid.
  • Precision Strikes: Signalled capability to escalate selectively while avoiding full-scale war.
• Shift in Rules of Engagement
  • New Doctrine: Terror attacks to be treated as acts of war, enabling swift retaliation.
  • Deterrence Messaging: Clear warning to perpetrators without binding India to immediate military action.

Post-Ceasefire Challenges

• Strategic Communication
  • Pakistan’s Narrative: Expected false claims of victory and leveraging fake news to influence global media.
  • India’s Counter-Strategy: Need for robust post-conflict communication to reinforce achievements (e.g. degraded terror infrastructure).
• Risk of Internationalization
  • UNMOGIP Trap: Ceasefire violations may aim to involve UN observers, reviving plebiscite rhetoric.
  • India’s Stance: Rejection of UNMOGIP legitimacy and emphasis on bilateral resolution.

Implications for Jammu & Kashmir

• Security Vulnerabilities
  • Resurgence of Terror Networks: Overground Workers (OGWs) and Pakistani Army-backed operatives remain active.
  • Infiltration Concerns: Persistent threats despite earlier claims of reduced recruitment.
• Socio-Political Challenges
  • Radicalization: Need to address extremism in Muslim-majority areas.
  • Integration Efforts: Mixed progress in mobilizing Kashmiri citizens toward national unity.
• Operational Gaps and Intelligence Shortfalls: Failure to detect highly trained terrorists operating in Pir Panjal and Kishtwar.

Way Forward

• Pakistan’s Persistent Agenda: Pakistan is unlikely to disengage from J&K, therefore continued vigilance is critical.
• Ceasefire as Tactical Pause: Ceasefire is not a permanent resolution but a recalibration of strategy.
• Long-Term Preparedness: Focus on J&K’s security, counter-radicalization, and diplomatic isolation of Pakistan.

Conclusion: India’s calibrated response achieved strategic aims without uncontrolled escalation. Future conflicts may leverage hybrid warfare, necessitating advances in technology and narrative control. J&K remains the focal point and addressing internal vulnerabilities is as crucial as external deterrence.

 

Editorial 2 : A New Old Conflict

Context: India-Pakistan Military Conflict Dynamics

Introduction: The recent India-Pakistan military conflict highlights new developments and enduring factors that shape their adversarial relationship. The interplay of modern warfare, geopolitical shifts, and ideological polarization underscores the evolving nature of the conflict.

New Developments in the Conflict

• Drone Warfare
  • First extensive use of drones in India-Pakistan conflicts, signalling a shift to contemporary warfare.
  • Raises debates on technological sophistication (e.g. Chinese, Israeli, and French weaponry replacing Cold War-era Soviet and American arms).
• Foreign Military Hardware
  • Pakistan’s alleged use of Chinese aircraft and missiles vs. India’s French Rafale jets and Israeli weapons.
  • Reflects diversification of defence partnerships beyond traditional Cold War alliances.
• Deep Strikes in Pakistani Punjab
  • India targeted Muridke (40 km from Lahore) and Bahawalpur (400 km from Lahore), areas linked to terror groups (Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed).
  • First such strikes in southern Punjab since 1971, challenging Pakistan’s narrative of civilian targets.
• Scholarly Consensus: Academic studies corroborate ties between Pakistan’s military and terror groups, legitimizing India’s counter-terror rationale.
• US Diplomatic Intervention
  • Break from Historical Norms
    • First direct US mediation since the 1965-66 Tashkent Agreement (Soviet-mediated).
    • Driven by fears of nuclear escalation, overriding India’s long-standing rejection of third-party mediation post-1972 Simla Agreement.
  • Realpolitik Implications
    • It highlights US power asymmetry over India, despite growing Indo-US strategic ties.
    • Trump administration’s transactional approach to conflict resolution.
  • Rise of Religious Nationalism
    • General Asim Munir’s elevation as COAS marks a shift from Jinnah’s cultural two-nation theory to religious nationalism.
    • Munir’s reinterpretation of Pakistan as a second Medina (a modern Islamic state) aligns with Zia-era Islamization.
    • Dangerous Synergy: First time both nations are led by leaders emphasizing religious civilizational divides, amplifying conflict risks.

Enduring Factors in the Conflict

• Historical Roots & Territorial Disputes
  • Kashmir Dispute: Remains the core bilateral issue since 1947, unresolved despite Simla Agreement’s bilateral framework.
  • Proxy Warfare: Pakistan’s use of non-state actors (e.g. LeT, JeM) as a low-cost strategy against India.
• Nuclear Deterrence
  • Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD): Nuclear arsenals prevent full-scale war but enable sub-conventional conflicts (e.g. terrorism, limited strikes).
  • US Fear of Escalation: Recent mediation driven by concerns over nuclear brinkmanship.
• Role of External Powers
  • China’s Influence: Military support to Pakistan (e.g. JF-17 jets) complicates India’s strategic calculus.
  • US Balancing Act: Tries to maintain ties with India while managing Pakistan’s role in regional stability.

Way Forward: Implications and Future Outlook

• Testing International Relations Theory: Will nuclear deterrence and external mediation (US) prevent full-scale war between religious-nationalist regimes?
• Risk of Miscalculation: Civilizational rhetoric (Hindu vs. Islamist nationalism) could undermine rational conflict resolution.
• Global Stakeholder Role: US-China rivalry may shape future mediation efforts, with Pakistan leaning on China and India on the US.

Conclusion: The convergence of technological shifts, ideological polarization, and great-power interests makes this conflict both unprecedented and perilously familiar. The world watches to see if nuclear deterrence and diplomacy can offset the combustibility of religious nationalism.