For Pakistan and many Pakistanis, there’s nothing quite like India or Indians to get that adrenaline moving …Witness Army Chief Gen Asim Munir taking potshots at India while addressing his Corps Commanders in Rawalpindi the other day.
Some would say his diatribe suits the occasion given how much the Pakistani Army needs India to justify its hold over the lives of ordinary Pakistanis … but first lets see what the provocation for Munir was.
Basically, remarks by India’s Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, that 60% of terrorists killed in Kashmir have been Pakistanis … and that he expects the terrorists currently holed up in Kashmir to also be of Pakistani origin …
Munir accused his Indian counterpart of making hollow statements (odd choice of words to say the least) … that Dwivedi was frustrated over his lack of success in Kashmir (another strange claim to make) … and then Munir changed tack … saying Pakistan would respond to any Indian misadventure with full force.
Now Gen Dwivedi had said nothing about attacking Pakistan .. but seated before his assembled Corps Commanders, Munir perhaps had to say that even though the threat to Pakistan now comes from its former ally, the Taliban in Afghanistan.
With 22 of his men killed in the last few days by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Munir knows the army driven Afghan policy has come full circle … with friends turned enemies.
Perhaps he was hoping that by turning the focus on India, he could distract ordinary Pakistanis from the extraordinary bungling indulged in by their army and intelligence apparatus … in Afghanistan.
Strategic Overeach aptly describes Pakistan’s inability to translate tactical successes into strategic victories. This it has demonstrated time and again, Kargil being an example where the tactical success it gained by occupying the high mountain ridges, was lost because there was no game plan beyond that.
Expect more from Gen Munir going forward … he has many years as chief ahead of him … many years to keep pointing the finger at India.
