IN the wake of recent Pakistani success over India in the limited armed conflict, social discussion invariably veers towards China`s help. Although some quarters would like to attribute Pakistan`s success to indigenous effort only, it is universally known that both Pakistan and India fought with fighter jets and other war machinery bought from third countries; France and China, basically.

The mainstay of Pakistan`s air attack was a combination of Chinese-made J-10Cs, JF-17s, drones and missiles. There is no doubt that China helped us in the limited war, much more than it has ever helped us in all our previous wars and skirmishes with India.

On some occasions, the Chinese had, in fact, plainly advised Pakistan to avoid going to war with India. This time it was different. Whatever the official position may be, the man on the street is very proud of the help that China providedin the war, and is certain that a new normal, in the shape of an all-out Chinese help, has been established. People seem to have taken it for granted that the same level of help, if not more and beyond, would be available in all future conflicts with India.

However, when it comes to international relations, history tells us that there are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests. So, the million-dollar question that begs an answer is: will China be as helpful in a future conflict as it was this time? Will the emerging sense of Chinese assertiveness in the region guarantee similar support to us in the future? It will be prudent that as a nuclear power, we develop our capacity to deal with any foreign aggression on our own instead of depending solely on any foreign power.

Akbar Jan Marwat Islamabad