Limitations of coercive diplomacy with Pakistan

Since Independence, India has fought three out of four wars with Pakistan over Kashmir. Following its resounding defeat in 1971, Pakistan realised the futility of conventional warfare and resorted to state-sponsored cross-border terrorism as a tool of foreign policy. This plan, conceptualised in the 1980s by General Zia-ul-Haq under the doctrine “Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts”, proved to be a win-win strategy for Pakistan. It exploited India’s internal fault lines, remained low-cost, tied down Indian forces and avoided full-scale war, all while maintaining plausible deniability. For decades, India’s default response was strategic restraint. India chose the path of bilateral…