ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the old dynamic of the India–Pakistan battlefield. In 1987, the Indian Army conducted a massive military exercise, ‘Brasstacks’, which outlined what was then a new tactical doctrine. The doctrine provides India with a viable option for launching low-risk shallow-thrust offensive operations in the plains in response to any major provocation. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons provide some deterrence against any Indian move to make deep thrusts into its territory and against any possible bisection of Pakistan, they are of limited use in a war aimed solely at inflicting maximum attrition against Pakistani military forces. Pakistan has openly touted its tactical nuclear weapons as a direct response to India’s Cold Start Doctrine. Whether it is workable or not, it has altered the nuclear thresholds under which Indian forces have to operate. The ‘Cold Start Doctrine’ evolved after the 2001/02 military stand-off following a series of Pakistani terrorist attacks, including one on the Indian Parliament.
