'Put Pakistan on the edge, then strike decisively': Ex-army general warns India against rushing into war post Pahalgam

Calling the Pahalgam massacre the deadliest attack on tourists since the insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir began, retired Indian Army officer Lieutenant General H S Panag has cautioned against emotionally driven retaliation. In an article published in ThePrint, he stressed the need for calculated strategy over impulsive action in the face of public outrage.

"Yesterday's dastardly terrorist attack on tourists at Baisaran Valley, aka ‘Mini Switzerland’, 2 km southeast of Pahalgam has caught the nation by surprise. This is the biggest terrorist attack on tourists since the beginning of the Jammu & Kashmir insurgency 36 years ago," Panag wrote.

The retired general acknowledged the charged national mood, stating: “A charged up nation fed on neo nationalism is baying for blood. However, the government must not let public sentiment force a hasty decision.”

He cautioned that Pakistan remains a nuclear state with sufficient conventional capabilities to absorb a limited war. "India does not have an overwhelming technological edge in any field—missiles, drones or air/naval power—to carry out retributory surgical strikes with impunity. Pakistan has the capability to respond in a quid pro quo manner and we should be prepared for the same."

However, Panag added that a retributory response is still warranted—and expected—within 48–72 hours. He outlined tactical options such as fire assaults, special forces’ raids, and limited cross-LoC operations to seize enemy posts. These, he said, would remain below the escalation threshold but would likely trigger reciprocal action from Pakistan.

He warned that targeting deeper strategic sites like Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Muridke base or Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Bahawalpur compound would escalate the conflict significantly. "Such actions fall in the strategic realm and may trigger escalation to a limited war."

Panag argued that there is space for a short, intense war under the nuclear threshold, particularly if restricted to Jammu & Kashmir. “This option is likely to give a bigger window before nuclear weapons come into play… it is best timed after snow melts.”

He added that if India opts for such action, it should adopt a “strategic defensive posture in the territory outside J&K” and make that intent clear globally. "In 10 days, the LoC can be pushed back 10–15 km to threaten strategic objectives… This option would force Pakistan to sue for peace as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would come under threat."

Panag concluded with a warning: "We must not hastily blow the war bugle, egged on by public sentiment or for short-term political gains. India needs to keep Pakistan on the edge with calibrated execution of a well thought out strategy to strike preemptively, strike decisively and strike repeatedly until the political aim is achieved."

The statement comes amid a series of retaliatory diplomatic and strategic measures announced by India following the terror strike in Baisaran, which killed 26, including tourists from the UAE and Nepal. The Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, cancelled Pakistani visas under the SAARC framework, closed the Attari checkpost, and expelled Pakistani defence staff from the High Commission in Delhi.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misry said the government is committed to justice: "The CCS resolved that perpetrators of this attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account. As with the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror or conspired to make them possible."