US report cautions India on China-Pak threat

INDIA is confident that the success of Operation Sindoor will force Pakistan to mend its ways at long last. However, the US Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) latest worldwide threat assessment report paints a sobering picture. It says that Pakistan regards India as an existential threat and will continue to pursue military modernisation efforts, including the development of nuclear weapons, to offset India’s conventional military advantage. New Delhi has sent a stern message to Islamabad that it will not succumb to nuclear blackmail, but that may not be enough to deter the hostile neighbour. “Pakistan almost certainly procures WMD-applicable goods from foreign suppliers and intermediaries,” the report adds. Pakistan’s ploy is obvious: Even if the nuclear bogey fails to intimidate India, it will rattle the West to the extent of eliciting a third-party intervention.