It’s Interesting to Watch War Games Being Played Out On Television Screens, Clubs and Living Rooms Across India
- When the real war breaks out, will it be equally interesting or painful?
I went to the Press Club of India in New Delhi last evening. I watched some journalists playing the speculative war game: will India be able to land a bomb on Lahore? Can Pakistan launch precise aerial attack on a target in Delhi?
Well, the Indian Air Force botched the job in 2019, when Pakistan retaliated the day after India’s Balakot strike. But India side claimed that with the induction of the Rafael fighter plane (top photo) into its armory, and with its integration with Astra missile, India is better prepared to face Pakistan today than it was in 2019.
The make-believe members of Pakistan group were not ready to yield ground. They said that Pakistan’s “all-weather friend” China has equipped it with JF-17 fighter jets, which fitted with China’s PL-15 radar-guided long range air-to- air missile will be more than a match for India. In fact, three days ago, Pakistan Air Force shared an image showcasing the latest JF-17C jets equipped with PL-15 missile in a war-ready stage. That’s enough to deter any Indian misadventure, they insisted.
The Indian team steered the discussion to naval warfare. Indian attack was spearheaded by the Indian Army after the Uri tragedy in 2016. The Air Force was the mainstay of India’s offensive against Pakistan after the Pulwama terrorist attack. This time, post-Pahalgam, it’s the turn of Indian Navy to teach Pakistan a lesson, the Indian team said. Pakistan stands nowhere compared to India in terms of number of ships, frigates, nuclear submarines and naval personnel and India would be able to overwhelm Pakistan in a naval warfare, they insisted.
I found the Pakistani side was a bit defensive: it said that Pakistan’s French-made Agosta-class submarines are formidable in coastal defense; it further said that China’s recent acquisition of China-made Yuan-class and Hangor-class attack submarines will give a befitting reply to any Indian attack.
One member of the Indian team butted in saying that India, as a matter of principle, will not attack any military and civilian targets in Pakistan. As Prime Minister Modi has said, India will pursue the terrorist launchpads and destroy them. Now that India Today Television is highlighting the Lahore bolthole of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, surely, Indian military has those satellite images and is working on it.
India will launch a precise, targeted attack and bump off terrorist Hafiz Sayeed in his den in Lahore just as the U.S. had killed terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in his Abbottabad hideout, the India team proudly proclaimed.
India is not a clone of the U.S.; if it dreams of launching an American style operation in the Pakistani territory, China — Pakistan’s ‘gold standard’ ally — will sternly rebuff it, the opposite team averred.
It’s interesting time to watch war games being played out on television screens, clubs and drawing rooms.
When the real war breaks out, will it be equally interesting or painful? Will it only be painful for Pakistanis or is it that Indians will also suffer? Who will suffer more?
Well, we will find out soon. It’s just a matter of time; maybe a few hours, or at best, a few days.
Nalini Ranjan Mohanty is the Director of the Jagran Institute of Management and Mass Communication. He is a former Assistant Editor with the Times of India and a former Resident Editor of the Hindustan Times.