'India-Pakistan conflict cannot be solved with use of force'

With both India and Pakistan being nuclear powers, the answer to the conflict between the two neighbours lies in a political solution and not in use of force, said Lt Gen (retd) Prakash Menon Wednesday.

The theory of a limited war to tackle terror attacks on Indian soil by Pakistani elements may not be a good idea in the backdrop of both countries having nuclear power, Menon said at the launch of his book "The strategy trap - India and Pakistan under the nuclear shadow".

"The answer does not lie in force as nuclear power is a deterrent to that, it lies in political sagacity," Menon said.

He said that a stable sub-continent is in the interest of India since its objective is of development and socio-economic upliftment of its people.

"The book throws up ideas which our politicians and generals can go into," he said.

The book was launched here by GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, Lt General M M Naravane.

Menon said that Pakistan uses terror as a tool for its foreign policy, while India feels that answer to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is a limited war.

"Limited war survives in our operational plans, whether it will succeed in the event of a next big terror attack is not known," he said, adding that the theory has not been tested yet.

He said that Pakistan uses nuclear threat politically and uses it to tell the West that the country would destabilise if they do not help it financially and that the weapons would then fall into bad hands.