Carl Von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military strategist who stated, “The nature of the war remains the same, only its character changes.” As a result, the notion of warfare has changed from direct conventional means to indirect unconventional means. Nation states utilize unconventional methods to accomplish their strategic goals. This is a separate category of warfare, which is known as “Hybrid Warfare”.
The term “Hybrid Warfare” was first used by an American military official, William Nemeth, in 2002. This terminology was further explored by Frank Hoffman, who was an ex-army officer and a decorated national security analyst. He explained the terminology as the utilization of conventional capabilities, terrorist acts, criminal disorder, and guerilla tactics all together to achieve the political objectives of the state.
Hybrid Warfare
Following the 2006 Lebanon War, in which Hezbollah successfully employed hybrid tactics against Israel, hybrid warfare gained global focus. Fake news, misinformation, propaganda, and cybertechnology are all part of it. The entire society is at risk in this war, not just the military elements of the adversary. Weakening the opposition from within is the main goal.
There are four phases of hybrid war. Initially, the aggressor subverts the target state through subversive operations. Furthermore, it starts a proxy war. Thirdly, vulnerabilities to the military in the form of psychological conundrums and the use of diplomatic isolation are emphasized. Finally, but just as importantly, using conventional force is the last resort.
Indian hybrid warfare tactics against Pakistan
India is targeting Pakistan in four major domains via hybrid warfare. Propaganda against the armed forces of Pakistan is the top priority of India. Religion is a very scary part of Pakistani culture. India is determined to disrupt the social security of Pakistan by using religion. Kashmir has been the root cause of animosity between Pakistan and India. Therefore, India does not leave any chance to propagate the Kashmir issue, which could deliberately paint Pakistan as an aggressor state. Moreover, India has identified the potential of CPEC for the economic security of Pakistan. So, disrupting the CPEC operations is also a priority for India at the time.
India intends to compromise the national security of Pakistan under the nuclear threshold. Many instances in the form of Kulbushan Yadav, the 2019 Pulwama crisis, and most importantly, the Indian Chronicles indicate the Indian intentions towards Pakistan. State-sponsored terrorism by India in the form of BLA is there. The Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav revealed that he was an ex-navy officer who was recruited by the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, to destabilize Pakistan internally. His assignment included arming and financing separatist groups like BLA, BLF, TTP, and BRA to cause chaos in the country, especially Balochistan, while motivating these groups to go rouge against the state of Pakistan.
The agenda of Indian state-sponsored terrorism was to tarnish the international image of Pakistan by portraying it as a “failed terrorist state.” This Indian attempt to destabilize Pakistan failed in 2019 when DG ISPR invited the global media to visit the bombing site of Balakot while EU DisInfo Lab issued the Indian Chronicles, a disinformation campaign by India against Pakistan for the past 15 years in more than 100 countries. India is very motivated to destabilize Pakistan. It is working tirelessly and doesn’t intend to stop.
Pakistan has a special historical affiliation with Kashmiris and India knows this very well. Hence, the Indian army carries out severe atrocities on Kashmiris that are totally against the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Geneva Conventions, and their Additional Protocols. Using horrifying sounds on loud speakers late at night in the valley in order to intimidate the innocent Kashmiris, knocking out women in cold and, upon awakening, having their braids chopped off are some terrorizing measures taken by the Indian army to control the Indian-occupied Kashmir. India covers up their inhuman behavior in Kashmir by always diverting the global attention to different events like the Pulwama Crisis and terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and blaming Pakistan for them.
Moreover, India was successful in diplomatic lobbying against Pakistan by utilizing the help of its strategic ally, the US, placing Pakistan in the FATF gray list. Similarly, CPEC has emerged as an imminent target for the Indian war tactics. RAW facilitated the attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi while Baloch insurgents recorded a threat video. That video stated that Chinese officials working on CPEC will be targeted. Lastly, the ex-chief of BLA, Dr. Jumma Baloch, stated that BLA is a proxy of India. It is not working for the rights of Balochi people.
The Indian hybrid tactics affected Pakistan economically, socially, militarily, and politically not only on a domestic level but also on an international scale. FATF grey list and Pakistan’s name in it caused an economic and political blow on a national and international level. The Indian propaganda and disinformation campaigns against Pakistan compromised the national security, affecting the nation socially. The instability in Baluchistan affected Pakistan militarily.
The best solution to counter hybrid threats is to effectively utilize the DDR approach, which refers to detect, deter, and response. The Indian conventional superiority did not work out to pressurize Pakistan, therefore, they switched to the combined approach of hybrid warfare. Political goals are the result of all wars, hence;
“War is a moral contest, they are won in temples long before they ever fought.”
The author, Saad Burney, is a student of Strategic studies at the National Defence University, Islamabad, with an impeccable record of debating over international politics.
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