PAF's Critical Role in Maintaining Regional Stability
According to Air Marshal (retd) Shahid Akhtar Alvi, Pakistan must maintain a strong and credible deterrence posture during these turbulent times. The increasing irrational approach from Prime Minister Modi's government, marked by repeated acts of aggression that lack both political sense and military logic, has made deterrence more crucial than ever for South Asian security.
The Changing Strategic Landscape
South Asia is currently under intense global scrutiny due to its rising strategic importance. However, India's internal trajectory under the BJP leadership has introduced dangerous volatility into regional dynamics. The ruling party has gradually influenced the Indian military establishment's thinking, eroding the secular and professional outlook that once characterized its higher command structure.
This ideological shift has created unprecedented instability in the region. In such a volatile atmosphere, Pakistan's capacity for controlled and disciplined deterrence serves as the primary anchor of stability. The margin for error in South Asian strategic calculations remains extremely thin, where any miscalculation could escalate into catastrophic consequences when high stakes combine with emotional decision-making.
Air Power as the Ultimate Deterrent
Modern air power has emerged as the most flexible and decisive instrument of deterrence in the region. Both the Pakistan Air Force and Indian Air Force possess long-range precision weapons capable of striking targets hundreds of kilometers away with near-pinpoint accuracy. Such capabilities place entire industrial, logistical, and communication networks at risk, with destruction that could halt a nation's progress for years and bring suffering to millions of people.
The precision and destructive reach of contemporary air power even restricts ground forces from maneuvering in large formations. Only an air force that achieves and maintains air superiority can create the necessary space for such military movements. During Operation Marka-e-Haq, the PAF demonstrated this superiority decisively when the IAF's flying activity dramatically decreased within a single day, restrained by fear of additional losses.
Historical Demonstrations of PAF Capability
The Pakistan Air Force's reputation was forged during the challenging years of 1965 and 1971, when a determined force with limited resources held its ground against a significantly larger adversary. The discipline and courage displayed during the 1971 war and subsequent national turmoil established an enduring truth: superior training, clear command structures, and coherent tactics can effectively offset numerical disadvantages.
The 2019 Balakot crisis provided a modern demonstration of air power's calibrated application. Both nations claimed success, but the episode proved that air action could communicate resolve without triggering uncontrollable escalation. Pakistan's measured responses and ability to operate under intense international scrutiny demonstrated that conventional air power, when skillfully applied, can alter perceptions of risk and resolution.
More recently, Marka-e-Haq and associated operations demonstrated this principle on a larger scale. The Pakistani Armed Forces' conduct during this campaign, particularly the PAF's contribution to decisive responses, created a significant shock effect in adversary calculations. The immediate result saw military commanders on the opposing side recommending operational pauses, aircraft being grounded, and political caution prevailing—demonstrating a calculated shift in the adversary's operational risk assessment.
Sustaining Deterrence Through Professionalism
The strategic lessons from Balakot and Marka-e-Haq confirm that conventional air power can complement, and in some circumstances substitute for, other forms of deterrence. The psychological impact—fear combined with awe—is achieved when an opposing air force demonstrates three critical capabilities simultaneously: the ability to reach and dominate battlespaces faster than adversaries and maintain presence; maintenance and logistics systems that enable rapid and continuous sortie generation; and weapons and tactics aligned with clear operational objectives.
Pakistan, through its maintenance expertise and well-established logistics, possesses the capability to generate and sustain high-tempo operations. This demonstrates a force that can deliberately and swiftly escalate when national policy demands such action. However, this capability extends beyond mere hardware—it encompasses leadership, personnel quality, training standards, and discipline that transform machines into effective fighting forces.
The memory of the PAF's pre-emptive strikes in 1965, which caught enemy bases unprepared, reinforced by timely and precise responses at Balakot and during recent Marka-e-Haq operations, constitutes the genuine currency of deterrence. This credibility is further evidenced by increasing international interest in training exchanges and multinational exercises with Pakistan. Air forces worldwide seek to learn from and test interoperability with the PAF, representing practical acknowledgment that Pakistan offers valuable operational experience and effective lessons in air operations with limited resources.
Such defense diplomacy reinforces deterrence by broadcasting competence and international confidence. Equally important is the element of restraint—the PAF's professional ethos has repeatedly demonstrated that measured, precise responses remain possible even when national emotions run high. The combination of restraint and resolution produces the desired effect: adversaries recognize capability while expecting controlled, professional behavior rather than unpredictable escalation.
This expectation maintains shorter, more visible crisis ladders for decision-makers on both sides. Ultimately, the Pakistan Air Force has demonstrated that a smaller, professional air force, led with clarity and uncompromising standards, can create deterrence that is both credible and controllable. This deterrence produces practical effects: creating pauses in enemy calculations and providing margins within which statesmen can choose safer paths. In a region where misjudgment carries enormous costs, such pauses prove invaluable for maintaining peace and stability.
