'Rise of Hindutva in India dangerous trend for region'

The rise of RSS-inspired Hindutva in India is a dangerous trend which would have repercussions for the region and beyond and needs to be countered with Pakistan's aggressive diplomacy.

This was stated by speakers and foreign policy experts, while speaking at a seminar titled 'India's Strategic Posture and Implications for Stability in South Asia,' organized by Center for International Strategic Studies, Islamabad in collaboration with University of Sargodha. They warned that the surge of Hindu nationalism in India would not only have domestic implications for it, but could have serious repercussions for regional peace and security. Ruling BJP in India had campaigned in this year's polls on a hardcore Hindu nationalist agenda. Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has since his re-election stepped up efforts for empowering Hindu majority at the cost of other minorities, particularly Muslims.

Air Commodore Khalid Banuri (retd), former adviser to Strategic Plans Division (SPD) and ex-DG Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs (ACDA), while speaking on the occasion said that the rise of ultra-nationalism is a grave challenge to global and regional stability. He pointed out that regionally, India's rising extremism reflected in Hindutva ideology is a dangerous trend and needs to be countered with Pakistan's aggressive diplomacy over a long period of time. Referring to the February 26, 2019 Balakot military conflict, he said that Pakistan's proportionate and calculated response to India's failed strikes demonstrated the capability and will to respond to Indian aggression using conventional means. He said that the response also proved wrong the Indian assumption that Pakistan would exercise restraint and would not retaliate.

Dr Adil Sultan, Director Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), while discussing the rise of Hindutva in Indian polity noted that the ominous implication of this dangerous trend is that the Indian leadership is now caught in a 'commitment trap'. He cautioned that any incident in India in future, because of the increasing domestic challenges there, would tempt Delhi to use Pakistan as a scapegoat. Indian leadership, in such an eventuality, may also attempt to publicize their ability to "punish Pakistan" for bolstering its nationalist credentials, he added.

Talking about failed Balakot strikes, Dr Sultan said Pakistan's response manifested that it has adequate conventional responses while busting the popular myth that Pakistan is a trigger-happy country which would respond with nuclear weapons if attacked conventionally.

Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi (retd), Executive Director CISS, in his introductory remarks, said, "The strategic picture in the region remains worrisome as the region experiences intense security competition. From Brass tracks to Cold Start Doctrine (CSD), limited strikes to surgical strikes, the Indian strategic ambition has been manifested in many shapes and forms."

Dr Mansoor Ahmed, senior research fellow at CISS spoke about the status of the balance of the conventional forces and force modernization underway in India and Pakistan. He underscored the need for Pakistan to invest in maintaining a credible conventional deterrence posture that supplements its strategic forces as part of full spectrum deterrence.

Dr Ishtiaque Ahmed, Vice Chancellor University of Sargodha, said that unfolding events in India show that Indian policies are based on racism, ethnic and racial exclusiveness, and suppression and victimization of minorities. He said that Pakistan could be affected by these events.