War on two fronts? India prepared to wade of any eventuality

New Delhi, July 02: Pakistan is likely to step up hostilities, if China launches an offensive against India. This was told to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, by a senior official of the Indian Air Force in 2014.

This clearly indicates that if the tensions with China do not reduce, then India would fight a two front war. Officials, however, tell OneIndia that India is prepared for any eventuality is capable of wading of any threat from both sides.

Air Marshal (retd), B K Pandey tells OneIndia that China would in the past always engage in a conflict with India on the eastern side. This time it is at Ladakh as the moves that have been made by India in recent times have made them very insecure about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, where the Chinese have invested billions of dollars.

This move by China is in fact new and has been triggered after the abrogation of Article 370 and Ladakh being made into a Union Territory. India has threatened to take over Pakistan occupied Kashmir, at a time when the CPEC project is ongoing.

If India were to do anything in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, that would have an effect Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. In Balochistan, the locals are fighting with the Chinese.

All these factors have made China insecure and they are trying to prevent India from doing anything concrete in the region, B K Pandey says.

Pakistan alone has no interest in this, but they are the cronies of the Chinese. Hence they would do what has been told. It is because of this, I would say that India has to be prepared for two front war. It may not be on a large scale, but it would start off as a minor conflict with China first and then Pakistan.

China is already basing its re-fuelers in PoK. They need it nearby and obviously are working in that direction. In my view, something has to be done before the winter or postpone it to next April, the retired Indian Air Force officer also says.

I am looking at these possibilities. These are the objectives of the Chinese, which according to me will lead to a war. The Chinese investment in the CPEC is in danger and India's strengthening of infrastructure and military in Ladakh has made the Chinese extremely insecure Air Marshal (retd), B K Pandey also says.