It is not time for celebration because the issue regarding Pakistan’s backing of terror outfits has not yet been resolved. But it is a moment of immense pride in the capability of India’s Armed Forces, which have shown enormous professional capability in clinically conducting ‘Operation Sindoor’ by carrying out 24 missile strikes across nine terror-linked sites in Pakistan and PoK. This shows that the philosophy guiding the military over the past decade and more has been properly oriented.
Of course, immediately after the attack, the other battle of shaping perceptions has begun. First, the Pakistan military claimed to have shot down two Indian fighter aircraft and then raised the number to five. In the haste to manufacture evidence, photographs of crashed aircraft were picked up from the internet and displayed. It took no time for even Pakistani observers to note that these were fake. It is also being claimed that the strikes led to only deaths of civilians, including women and children. The Indian forces, on the other hand, assert that at least 70 terrorists have been killed.
The targets were very meticulously selected – mostly madrasas and mosques where terrorists are trained by the likes of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. These included camps, safehouses, and logistical facilities used to plot attacks against India. In the early photographs shown by the Pakistani media, one such site has been shown in which racks are visible containing many military type boots. Which genuine madrasas students wear such footwear?
India has described the action as ‘a statement of strategic resolve’ meant to ‘demonstrate that it would no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism, nor the complicity of state institutions that enable it’. The big question is – what now? The Pakistani Premier is slated to address the nation late on Wednesday, and it will become clear whether they wish to continue with the confrontation. Initially, the Pakistanis had sought to disassociate themselves from the Pahalgam attack and had approached the global community on that line. However, most nations rejected their claim. Then they were hoping India would not be able to strike back. That illusion too has been shattered. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had earlier admitted to Pakistan’s complicity with terror groups in the past, has tried to strike a conciliatory note, stating that the confrontation can be ended if India backs down on ‘its aggressive posture’. That would be a wise thing to do, and the services of some international mediators can be used as a face-saving device. However, the big question remains – Will Pakistan stop its sponsorship of terrorism in its bid to grab J&K? Or will another Pahalgam take place a couple of years down the line?
