Surprise is a key element of the Cold Start doctrine. Paksitan has indicated often that it would not shy away from using nuclear weapons against India. A cold start gives India an escape from the inevitability of nuclear conflict with Pakistan. Pakistan and critics of the Cold Start doctrine think that India's success in a cold start depends on various factors such as terrain, the element of surprise and how Pakistan deploys its forces. India has imposed its choice of a limited war on Pakistan even if Pakistan plans to fight it with smaller nuclear weapons.

Source: Economic Times September 21, 2017 07:52 UTC