THE history of Pakistan-India relations is marked by hostility, wars and deep-rooted distrust.

Since the partition of 1947, India has never fully recognized Pakistan as a sovereign state. Its illegal occupation of Kashmir, pressures over water disputes, interventions via Afghanistan and interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs have continuously complicated this relationship. In recent decades, India has pursued a covert, coordinated strategy against Pakistan, commonly referred to in military terms as a proxy war—waged not on traditional battlefields but through financing and arming terrorist groups, backing separatist movements, fueling sectarianism and spreading media propaganda.

Pakistan has repeatedly highlighted to the world that the Indian intelligence agency RAW is the primary driver of this proxy war. Financing terrorists, supplying arms and ammunition and inciting local groups are India’s central tactics. The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, along with his confessional statements, provides concrete evidence of India’s direct efforts to destabilize Pakistan from within. This war has inflicted immense human and financial losses on Pakistan. Over two decades of counterterrorism operations, more than 90,000 Pakistani civilians and security personnel have been killed or injured, while the economy has suffered losses exceeding $15 billion. The ongoing economic challenges, inflation and uncertainty in the country are deeply rooted in the consequences of this proxy conflict.

Amid this complex scenario, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has emerged as a decisive leader. From the outset, he made it........

© Pakistan Observer