Beyond the Gunboats; India’s Asymmetrical Naval Strategy and the Security Dilemmas for Pakistan

Abstract

The evolving geopolitical dynamics in the South Asian region have posed new challenges and threats to Pakistan’s security and stability. The country's security environment is not solely defined by traditional military threats. The non-traditional security challenges also pose multidimensional threats to the country's security and increase its internal vulnerabilities. India has developed a strong and formidable blue-water navy equipped with advanced aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, long-range surveillance systems, and a vast intelligence network to expand its security nexus. Today’s Indian naval strategy is not confined to its coastal areas and to guarding its waters with traditional gunboats; rather, it aims to neutralize threats well before they can affect it. In this regard, India has also employed asymmetrical tactics against Pakistan by exploiting its internal vulnerabilities. The Indian hybrid war strategy against Pakistan has adversely affected Pakistan’s internal socio-political environment, especially in Karachi and Balochistan. India has activated three faultlines in Pakistan, i.e., sectarian, ethnic, and subethnic faultlines, by backing the banned terrorist organization. 90% of Pakistan's trade, economic activity, and energy needs are met through its seaports. India knows that any traditional naval encirclement or asymmetrical engagement in the coastal cities, including Karachi and Gwadar in particular, or in other parts of the country in general, can cause strategic vulnerability. Therefore, India has waged a hybrid war against Pakistan by activating sectarian, ethnic, and sub-ethnic faultiness. RAW is backing non-state actors in Pakistan to stage insurgency, sabotage, and terrorism, especially in Balochistan and Karachi. These asymmetrical and hybrid strategies pose existential threats to Pakistan’s national security. This research explains and helps clarify the non-traditional security challenges Pakistan faces today due to India’s asymmetrical naval strategy.