Brig (retd) GB Reddi
As a former war veteran, I believe the time has come for India to shed strategic restraint and deliver a calibrated yet unmistakable response to Pakistan’s continued patronage of terror. We must strike back—not recklessly, not emotionally, but with precision, limited intensity, and unrelenting resolve.
Let’s be clear: this is not about launching a full-scale war. This is about restoring deterrence and re-establishing red lines that Pakistan has long blurred. We don’t need boots in Islamabad or tanks rolling into Lahore. What we need is a doctrine of limited but effective punitive action—swift, targeted, and punishing enough to impose real costs without overextending ourselves militarily or economically.
India must adopt a graduated strategy—a time-tested military doctrine that emphasizes proportional retaliation with an eye on escalation control. We have the capability, the intelligence, and increasingly, the political will. What we need is clarity of objective: bleed the terror machine, not the Pakistani public.
There are over 150 terror camps in Pakistan-occupied territories, most of which operate with impunity. We don’t need to hit them all—30 to 40 key camps and leadership hubs, including those run by Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, at Bhawalpur and Muridke, would be sufficient to send a chilling message. This must include high-value targets, possibly extending to logistical hubs, launchpads, and command-and-control centers.
Weapon Systems at Our Disposal
India today possesses a formidable array of precision-strike and air defense platforms capable of conducting such operations from within our borders.
- S-400 Triumf: A cutting-edge Russian-made surface-to-air missile system, capable of engaging multiple aerial threats simultaneously at ranges up to 400 km. Its deployment strengthens our defensive umbrella, enabling us to neutralize retaliatory air threats from across the border.
- Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM): Developed by DRDO, it offers an 80 km engagement range, agile maneuverability, and is optimized to take out aircraft and drones intruding into Indian airspace.
- SPYDER (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby): An Israeli quick-reaction air defense system with a response time of mere seconds. With ranges of up to 100 km and warheads like Python-5 (11 kg) and Derby (23 kg), SPYDER is ideal for mobile defense against enemy aircraft and precision-guided munitions.
- Igla-S MANPADS: Highly portable and deadly against low-flying targets such as helicopters and drones, the Igla-S offers 6 km of operational range and is a perfect asset for forward positions and quick deployments.
- Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher: Developed indigenously, this system has a range of 60–75 km and can saturate enemy positions with explosive payloads. It’s ideal for pulverizing terror launchpads near the Line of Control.
Strike Where It Hurts
While the primary focus must remain on terror infrastructure, symbolic targets cannot be ignored. For instance, Karachi airport—a major economic and transport hub—is a soft target and within reach of India’s long-range stand-off weapons. A precision strike here, if required and justified, would create economic and psychological disruption far greater than its cost. It need not be sustained, but it must be decisive.
Let us not emulate the Russian miscalculation in Ukraine with sprawling ground invasions and urban warfare quagmires. Our response should be non-contact warfare—strikes launched from air, land, and sea platforms without crossing into hostile territory.
Pakistan’s nuclear sabre-rattling must no longer be treated as a veto on our right to defend ourselves. Since 1945, no nuclear power has dared to use its arsenal—not because of moral restraint, but because mutual destruction is guaranteed. Deterrence works both ways. What Islamabad truly understands is cost. Pain. Embarrassment. Isolation.
Some may argue for radical measures, such as the execution of Pakistani prisoners of war currently in Indian custody. As a former soldier and responsible citizen, I understand the emotions behind such calls. But we must remember: India’s strength has always been in its moral high ground, even in conflict. Our fight is not with prisoners; it is with Pakistan’s state-sponsored terror apparatus. Let us bleed their terror infrastructure, not abandon the laws of war that differentiate us from the enemy.
We must speak the language of power—calculated, forceful, unapologetic. The objective is not annihilation, but deterrence. Not chaos, but consequences. A bleeding Pakistan, not a broken one, is the goal. And that we can achieve—without crossing our own red lines.
