Why does Pakistan always win?
The short answer is they have watched the Bollywood movie Baazigar too many times and darkly taken to heart its famous dialogue: Haar ke jitney wale ko Baazigar kehte hain (The one who wins by losing is called a risk taker). Or better still, they have watched the Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer Awara (Rogue) too many times and taken to heart its famous dialogue: Hum to doobenge sanam tumko bhi le doobenge (I will drown darling but I will take you down too).
Pakistan is both a Baazigar and Awara, or maybe an Awara Baazigar (Rogue Gambler), a dangerous concoction any day. And with a neighbor like that, “boy oh boy”, India will always be in trouble.
Pakistan, as they say, is not a country but an idea. And it will continue to win until the idea is alive. Fragmentation of Pakistan into countless pieces is also not the solution. Pakistan is like Raktabeeja, the demon who multiplied the more it was killed. And that multiplication is sustained through the rampant radicalization of its population. If Shiva is described as “that which is not,” Pakistan is “that which is not India”.
But hey, all this is good. As a Kafir (non-believer) Indian, it is a fair assumption that I would badmouth Pakistan. But the question remains, why does Pakistan win?
The First Victory
Pakistan first won on 14th August, 1947, the day it secured independence from the British after the partition of India. In a mere 14 years since Chaudhry Rahmat Ali first came up with the idea of Pakistan, Jinnah, a Shia Ismaili Muslim of Hindu Rajput descent, one who was the antithesis of a “true” Muslim, led its creation. He was a hard bargainer, and the Muslims gave him the ability to bargain hard. And how is that? In the 1946 provincial elections of British India, Jinnah’s party, the Muslim League, won 87% of the Muslim majority seats (this is still happening in Muslim majority areas of India). For a young political movement to walk away with two significant chunks of Bharat Mata (Mother India) was no mean feat. Indian Muslims or Muslims living in India (have to correct myself as Pakistanis don’t think of themselves as original inhabitants of India but as children of Islamic invaders who conquered, ruled, and taxed parts of India) were very clear then as to who they were and what they wanted. So, the main reason for Pakistan’s first victory was clarity of purpose and unity. One can say that the Congress and its leaders were weak and played by both the Muslim League and the British, but that doesn’t take away credit from Jinnah and his ability to snatch what he thought was rightfully his.
Subsequent Victories…
1947–48 war
Pakistan attacked Jammu & Kashmir (J & K) to stop the Hindu king from merging with India. Whatever the details of the war, India kept two-thirds of J & K while Pakistan walked away with the rest, which it still holds to this day. Nehru's seeking UN intervention was a victory for Pakistan. In pursuit of peace, Chachaji displayed weakness in a situation where India converted a winning position to a request for dispute mediation. Thus, India snatched a weak win from the jaws of a thumping victory. Over the last 75 years, Pakistan has created such a situation in POK (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) and also the Indian state of J & K that India will have to think twice before taking back POK. India’s dilemma: they want POK minus the population. Impossible in the foreseeable future unless India is ready to shed blood or do what the Chinese are doing to the Uyghur Muslims. Pakistan, on the other hand, is ready to shed blood, take blind risk,s and employ shock & awe tactics. The goal of Pakistan is very clear i.e., OCCUPY INDIA.
1965 war
In 1965, Pakistan again attacked India. They were hit back hard, but once again, India agreed to the Tashkent declaration while it was winning. India’s habit of snatching equivalence with Pakistan continued, as whatever bravery it showed on the battlefield was lost on the negotiation table. Pakistan simply walked away without any post-war repercussions, concessions, or deterrence. With its nonchalant attitude, it didn’t care about the number of Pakistani lives lost. In its head, Pakistan had won. How? By rankling India and getting away with it. Also, Pakistan was proud that it could protect itself. The goal was clear: OCCUPY INDIA.
1971 war
In 1971, India clearly won the war with Pakistan, with the end product being the creation of Bangladesh. Thus, a major chunk of Pakistan broke away from it. It proved that Islam in itself was not enough to sustain Pakistan. Once again, India lost at the negotiation table, allowing Pakistan to walk away without post-war repercussions and deterrence. In fact, Pakistan made almost no serious concessions. As usual, Pakistan was proud that it had given India a bloody nose and succeeded in protecting West Pakistan. It is a different fact that Pakistan itself lost its nose. Forget about getting a bloody nose!
1984 Siachen
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In 1984, the Pakistanis tried to take the Siachen glacier in contravention of the Simla agreement. The Indians preempted their operation and took control of the glacier. Technically and factually, Pakistan lost, but in its head, it had won (once again). How? Same story: They at least tried and rankled India, tested its patience, tried to find chinks in the Indian armor. And this wasn’t the last time. They tried again to take back Siachen in 1987–89, but yes, let's give them full marks for trying.
1999 Kargil War
Phir bhi dil hai Pakistani (My heart is Pakistani) was back again in 1999 with an attempt to occupy Kargil. No surprises, they were shown their place by the Indians. But they won again. How? They succeeded in keeping the hatred between India and Pakistan alive and lived to fight another day. A political reconciliation between the PMs of the two countries was thwarted by the Pakistani army led by Musharraf (now with 72 virgins). Quite impressive!!
2025 War
The less said, the better here. Pakistan got a serious spanking in a short 3-day conflict. The difference was that this time, they had not attacked India but tested India’s patience using the terrorism playbook. Even though the failures of Pakistani forces, their air defenses, their arsenal full of Chinese, US, and Turkish military equipment, and mainly nuclear deterrence (pau-pau kilo bums) were smashed so quickly, they still claimed victory. How and why? Well, the US, which had stopped using the “Indo-Pak” terminology, lapped it up in a major U-turn. The US now treats India as a major threat, though it doesn’t say so. Also, the Pakistani narrative won in the Western media. While the Indians were busy smashing Pakistani assets, the Pakistanis were busy counting and reporting how many jets were down. To this day, no proof of this has been provided, but this narrative is still mentioned by Western media outlets.
Summary
After 1971, Pakistan has used terrorism and nuclear weapons (funded by the S party, stolen from the N party, assembled by the C party, and under the security protection of the U party) to threaten India. Insecurity is its biggest problem. Can India ever defeat Pakistan? No. Why? How can you defeat someone who is unclear about his identity? Pakistan follows an Arabic religion, copies the Pashtun and Arabic dress code, uses a language with its roots in Sanskrit, keeps Hindu surnames, and spices its food with Indian spices. They are a truly diverse bunch. When a Pakistani wakes up in the morning, they are Arabic, in the afternoon they are Turkish, and in the evening they are from elsewhere in Central Asia. Sometimes, they are in bed with the Americans (strategic partner: strategy of the US and implementation by Pakistan), and sometimes with the Chinese, and sometimes with both in the same bed. At times, they try to solicit other clients like the Turks, Emiratis, Saudis, or the Qataris. They are open to anything and everything. A state for hire to do dumb things, so that its army can prosper. A soulless nation cannot be defeated, as it has already lost. It is a Ghost for hire.
Pakistan’s motto is: If, the Prophet Muhammad could win the Battle of Badr against a numerically and well quipped opposition, If Muhammad of Ghur could lose to Prithviraj Chauhan 7, 17 or 20 times (based on what you believe) and win in the final battle, If the Jews and Christians could tire out the Romans and finally convert them (and the whole modern west), If Islam could convert Indonesia, chunks of Malaysia, the Maldives, the Afghans, Mongols, Tajiks, Turks, Kazakhs etc. through continuous and patient attempts over centuries; why not India? So, India will always be on notice. And, India can’t defeat Pakistan as the only victory that will count is the last one.
Can India do something?
Yes. Perhaps Prithviraj Chauhan didn’t know that Krishna killed Shishupala after 100 offences. India needs to draw the line for Pakistan. Not for peace but for Pakistan’s transformation. You know what I mean.
Or else, Pakistan will keep singing, Taylor Swift’s lines from “The Archer”:
Dark side, I search for your dark side
But what if I’m alright, right, right, right here?
And I cut off my nose just to spite my face
Then I hate my reflection for years and years
Nose is Pakistan and face is India. If India wants to breathe easily, it needs its nose.
PS: Pakistan should at least learn how to count: How many jets were down: 2, 4,5, or 7? Also, if they win the Asia Cup on 29th Sep against India (after being defeated twice earlier on), they will call it a victory of Islam (not Pakistan).
