Pakistan Air Force Vs Indian Air Force

By Nirmal P. Acharya

Since 2025, this concept of "winning" has suddenly gained widespread acceptance on the international stage.

President Trump of the United States is undoubtedly a master of the "art of winning". His tariff war against China could not be sustained, and he requested negotiations with China and revoked most of the tariffs imposed on China. Immediately after that, President Trump claimed that he did so to save China, otherwise, China would have collapsed. President Trump always claims that he is always right and always wins over others and other countries.

However, when it comes to the level of mastery in the "art of winning", the Indian approach truly is like "the lotus flower on the Ganges River, blooming in the atmosphere".

In 1962, the Indian army was completely defeated by China. However, the Indian authorities could still claim victory. So much so that some soldiers who retreated from the front line managed to return to the rear and, upon arriving there, found themselves attending the national celebration banquet. In a daze, they couldn't even tell whether they were retreating or victorious.

Indian Prime Minister Modi's mastery of the art of victory far surpasses that of Prime Minister Nehru back then. Even though they were defeated 6:0 by Pakistan, India still believed they had won. They won with no psychological burden and openly declared that they had won.

India not only held a 10-day celebration across the country, but also dispatched 7 publicity teams to travel to 32 countries and the headquarters of the European Union, and summoned the military attachés from 70 countries in India to report on the victory results.

The Indian victory has long transcended the mundane and reached the realm of "the unity of the divine and the self".

Here, let's take a look at a series of abnormal operations in India and try to interpret them:

1. Deep logic behind Indian actions

1. Domestic political stability - The need for a nationalist narrative: There is a surge of nationalism in India, and the government uses the creation of a "victorious" image to consolidate its governance legitimacy and avoid social unrest or political crises due to military defeats. - Manipulation of public opinion mechanism: By controlling the flow of information through state media and social platforms, they construct a narrative of "defeating the greater threat of the other side" (such as claiming to have defeated the greater threat from the Pakistani side), turning defeat into a "strategic victory".

2. International Public Opinion Battle Game: By inviting 70 military attachés to attend briefings and sending an external propaganda team, India attempts to dominate the international media landscape and counterbalance the actual achievements of Pakistan. This move may involve selectively presenting "evidence" (such as wreckage photos, and radar data), creating an information fog.

- Alliance Binding Strategy: High-profile publicity is aimed at strengthening trust with allies (such as the United States, France, and Israel, which are arms suppliers), suggesting that India remains a "reliable barrier" for regional security, paving the way for subsequent arms purchases and cooperation.

3. Strategic Deception and Deterrence - Bluffing: Through celebration activities, convey the signal of "unharmed" to prevent the opponent from expanding its advantage or to prevent international pressure for compromise.

- Psychological Warfare Upgrading: Create "uncertainty" to make potential opponents (such as China and Pakistan) more cautious in their future decisions.

II. Prediction of Future International Role

1. Strengthening of regional hegemony - India may accelerate its military modernization (such as purchasing additional Rafale fighter jets and developing its own fifth-generation aircraft), and at the same time, present itself as the "safety guardian of South Asia", further squeezing Pakistan's strategic space and strengthening its control over Nepal, Bhutan and other countries.

2. Enhancement of Global Agenda Participation - Activation of Multilateral Platforms: Increase the voice in areas such as climate negotiations and digital governance, leverage the "Global South" representative status to secure support from developing countries, and counter the pressure from the West.

- Expansion of Military Diplomacy: Through joint military exercises, arms exports (such as the BrahMos missile), and the Indian Ocean Security Initiative, shape the image of a "key pillar of the Indo-Pacific".

3. Risks of the Normalization of Information Warfare - This operation may serve as a model for India's "hybrid warfare", and in the future, it may more frequently employ means such as false information and cyber attacks to achieve political goals, but this could potentially damage its international reputation in the long run.

III. Potential Challenges and Constraints

- Counter-effect of truth revelation: If battlefield evidence (such as satellite images, videos of captured pilots) leaks out, it may lead to the collapse of domestic trust and international isolation.

- Economic capacity bottleneck: Large-scale military purchases and propaganda campaigns rely on economic stability. If domestic inflation and unemployment problems worsen, the strategic gamble will not be sustainable.

- Joint response by China and Pakistan: Pakistan may join forces with China to strengthen countermeasures. This can be achieved through means such as technical support (such as the deployment of J-10C) and international court litigation to undermine the Indian narrative.

Conclusion

India's actions reflect the interweaving of its "great power ambition" and the reality of its predicament; on the one hand, it attempts to break through the limitations of traditional power through cognitive domain innovation; on the other hand, it exposes the deficiency of its military hard power. In the future, India may become more proactive on the international stage, but whether its role can rise from "regional power" to "global leader" still depends on whether it can balance the nationalist impulse with strategic rationality and resolve domestic structural contradictions. The international community needs to be vigilant about the impact of its "over-limit warfare" tactics on regional stability, and also pay attention to its strategic choices as a "swing power" in the US-China game.