Army may use Cold Start doctrine against Pak

New Delhi: Any Indian decision to carry out a strike on terror targets inside Pakistan will be based on the Cold Start doctrine in place since 2004.

The Cold Start doctrine followed the Operation Parakram experience when India took as long as a month to mobilise its troops.

The new doctrine will enable the Armed Forces to mobilise for a ground or air strike within hours. Integrated battle groups, comprising elements of the army including infantry, armour and artillery - and working in tandem with the Air Force - will carry out an operation against clearly defined targets in Pakistan.

These could be terror training camps or launch pads to infiltrate terrorists into India. It could also target elements of the Pakistani army that may try to defend the terrorists.

The doctrine talks about eight rapidly-deployable “integrated battle groups,” drawn from the Navy and the Indian Air Force.

These groups would be trained to make swift and hard inroads into the enemy territory. The strikes should be ‘‘limited’’ and ‘‘calibrated’’ to ensure nuclear weapons do not come into play in any war scenario.