South Asia is strategically located with amazing topography, enormous natural resources, extremely hardworking human resources, and is home to some of the oldest religions and civilizations. Yet despite all the blessed features, the nearly two billion people are left behind on every account of development due to unnecessary wars and conflicts. The present state of this sub-region is primarily a result of the enduring rivalry between India and Pakistan that spans over seven decades and four decades of continued wars and conflicts in Afghanistan. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that South Asia Needs Hybrid Peace more than ever before to avoid catastrophic outcomes of another major conflict between nuclear neighbours and the resurgence of terrorism around the globe.

The India-Pakistan relationship is complex and choreographed with wars, protracted conflicts and active disputes. Although the presence of nuclear weapons has decreased the probability of an all-out conventional war, the frequency of minor conflicts and crises have increased manifold. India considers nuclear weapons a deterrent against nuclear strikes, whereas Pakistan assumes that these would deter a nuclear as well as a conventional war. The central argument of this book is that another military engagement between India and Pakistan, similar to one in February 2019, exists with varying degrees of probability, thus challenging the efficacy of nuclear deterrence. Until the probabilities of military engagements are minimized, the possibilities of peace and stability in the region would remain elusive. Therefore, the situation asks for scholarly contribution in developing a new paradigm wherein the two nuclear neighbors are made to recognize the need to resolve their disputes instead of just managing them, to avoid recurrence of violent conflicts that can lead to a catastrophic nuclear exchange, no matter how limited it is.