However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif turned up the heat, warning India of ‘consequences’, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif seemed ambivalent about an escalation. India’s position is that Pakistani ministers are trying to create hysteria and panic as a face-saver in their respective constituencies.
The establishment in Pakistan is also stretched between the compulsions of an economy on the brink of bankruptcy and rebellion across the country from different outfits for different reasons. Therefore, India has reasons to believe that Islamabad’s capacity to sustain war efforts may be limited.
At this stage, a clear demand from India, asking Sharif to hand over Masood Azhar and Hafi Sayeed gives Pakistan a reasonable exit from the war and an opportunity to redeem its image as a haven for terrorists. Even if the government in Islamabad is willing to concede, will the Pakistan army allow it? As the cliche goes, India has a state with an army, and Pakistan has an army with a state.
