India, Feb. 23 -- India-Pakistan relations have entered a phase defined by a volatile mix of active confrontation alternating with constrained hostility. Formal dialogue remains politically untenable in India, public discourse is sharply sceptical of engagement, and Pakistan's internal political trajectory has moved further toward praetorian dominance. The result is not peace but a suspended hostility in which crises remain possible even when escalation may not be imminent.

The emergence of general Asim Munir as Pakistan's central power figure has reinforced this dynamic. Pakistan's military establishment has historically shaped the country's India policy, but the current consolidation of military authority - combined with persistent amb...