Triadic Deterrence and India’s and China’s Counter-terrorism Strategies/Approaches Toward Pakistan: A Comparative Analysis

There is a paucity of literature on India-Pakistan, China-Pakistan, and non-state actors (NSAs) using triadic deterrence. Additionally, a comparative analysis of India’s and China’s strategies with respect to Pakistan to motivate the latter to prevent NSAs targeting India and China respectively, is also missing. This article fills these gaps in the existing literature. It argues and illustrates that the prior nature of India-Pakistan and China-Pakistan relations influences the choices available and tools employed by the two countries. Due to India-Pakistan rivalry, India is following a dual policy of “non-violent compellence” that is building international political and diplomatic pressure, and conducting covert/overt military strikes to coerce Islamabad to forgo terrorism. Contrarily, China and Pakistan enjoy a comprehensive “all-weather” strategic partnership with China following a multi-pronged strategy to stabilize Pakistan and increase state capacity to combat militant/terrorist groups. Simultaneously, it has pressurized Islamabad at the bilateral level to forgo terrorism.