Ex-Air Chief Sohail Aman Warns: India’s ‘Limited War’ Gamble Risks Escalation into All-Out Conflict

Pakistan’s Former Air Chief Alerts Against India’s Risky "Limited War" Assumption

ISLAMABAD — Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) Sohail Aman issued a stark warning at the Thought Leaders Forum hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). He cautioned that India's belief in a narrow, conventional conflict—without triggering nuclear escalation—is dangerous and misleading.

Pakistan’s Readiness and Force Evolution

Highlighting Pakistan’s strategic evolution, Sohail Aman revisited the significance of “Marka-e-Haq” and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which signal a shift toward multi-domain warfare—integrating air power, precision unmanned operations, and cyber disruption. These operations effectively shattered India’s false notion that Pakistan would remain passive under military provocation.

Dispelling False Narratives

Addressing misleading Indian claims—including the narrative of facing a joint China-Pakistan force—Aman dismissed them as fabrications aimed at saving face. Moreover, he asserted that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), though smaller in numbers, proved technologically superior—outmatching its Indian counterpart decisively.

The Danger of Escalation Beneath Nuclear Thresholds

While nuclear deterrence held firm during the May 2025 crisis, Sohail Aman expressed grave concern about the belief that there is leeway for a limited conventional war under a nuclear shadow. Although a nuclear exchange remains improbable, he warned that uncontrolled escalation cannot be discounted. He stressed the importance of upholding Pakistan’s red lines and underlined that regional peace hinges on diplomacy, resolving Kashmir, and promoting economic stability, trade, and connectivity.

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood on Strategic Resilience

DG ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood echoed these remarks, characterizing “Marka-e-Haq” as emblematic of Pakistan’s steadfast defense against Indian aggression, rooted in unified national support. He pinpointed the BJP government’s role in provoking the crisis—motivated by ideological arrogance, political optics, and a drive for regional domination.

Mahmood added that across diplomatic, military, and informational fronts, Pakistan emerged stronger during the 2025 conflict. Notably, PAF’s performance in the largest aerial combat in recent history—downing at least six Indian fighter jets—demonstrated its edge. Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos marked a milestone in multi-domain warfare, leveraging drones, precision strikes, cyber action, and joint command-and-control systems.

Despite the ceasefire, he warned that the situation remains volatile. India continues to portray the conflict as merely paused, with Operation Sindoor assumed ongoing in various forms. Such narratives fuel the dangerous belief in limited war under a nuclear ceiling—an idea he stressed must be firmly rejected to uphold strategic stability