Debate | How Can India-Pakistan Tensions Be De-Escalated?

Former Ambassador Virendra Gupta said, while there is a clear provocation, India responded to it in good measure.

Tensions between India and Pakistan mount as Pakistan captures an Indian IAF pilot.

(Photo: BloombergQuint)

Pakistan, on Wednesday, 27 February, went back on its claim of having two IAF pilots in custody, as its Armed Forces Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted clarifying that there is "only one pilot under Pakistan Army’s custody".

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), also confirmed that one IAF pilot is in Pakistan’s custody and made clear that Pakistan should be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to the defence personnel in its custody.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, 27 February, offered dialogue with India to diffuse escalating tensions between the two countries.

On the events that unfolded on 27 February, the Pakistan prime minister said, “We had to show that if you come in our territory, we can also come into yours.”

Talking to BloombergQuint, Distinguished Fellow at ORF Manoj Joshi summed up the events and said, while India had taken clear counter terror actions on Tuesday, 26 February, it has still faced a setback after an Indian pilot was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday, 27 February. However, it is relatively a minor setback, he said, adding that India’s red lines have been clearly established.

“If you are in conflict and undertaking war-like action, there are bound to be losses. This capture is extremely unfortunate. The Pakistanis will extremely play it to the hilt as far as they are concerned....However our red lines have been clearly established.”

Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow, ORF 

Former Ambassador Virendra Gupta said that while there is a clear provocation from Pakistan, India responded to it in good measure and contained the conflict well.

“Both Pakistani military and Imran Khan himself have counselled for peace and not allowing for tensions to escalate...It was a carefully worded statement from their side that their strike was also against non-military targets, avoiding human loss and collateral damage,” he said, indicating that all these signals from Pakistan clearly point out that they do not want any escalation.

Meanwhile, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies, CSIS Richard Rossow thinks there is enough room for de-escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.

“I think there is enough room. You need to find that moment when both sides can walk away and claim that they have got some level of victory, that they can claim credit for that. That’s the day they can walk away.”

Richard Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies, CSIS