Doomed. Lost cause. Over and gone. Done and dusted. Hopeless. This was the state of sentiments in the country till 10th of May 2025.

Business confidence had nosedived. Consumer confidence was in tatters. Public disillusion was at its highest. Then came the transformation. Come 11th of May and overnight the mood of the nation took an about-turn. News channels that were shunned became a must watch.

Twitter reopened. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp were all about celebrations, laughter and hope.

Generation X, millennials and Gen Z for the first time were on one page—the page of patriotism, of national pride, of hope. Pakistan’s security was threatened by its old enemy.

The enemy made horrific threats, their media went into a Pakistan takeover overdrive. Almost as in movies the big bully was silenced by a nation that has “resilience” as its most revered and practiced core value.

For the older generations of baby boomers and Generation X this was the age old war and win desire against India they have been born and bred with. For the millennials and Gen Z who has never really seen a war, this was Netflix stuff upfront and real. In the beginning, it was just the usual crossfire between two warring nations.

The bigger neighbour claiming a takeover of Pakistan and the smaller ones poking fun and getting apprehensive about the lack of response on Pakistan’s part. Then came the response. It was measured and dramatic. The targeting of main Indian airbases brought a sigh of relief.........

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