Following India’s May7 ‘Oper­ationSindoor,’ the two arch rival South Asian neighbours find themselves precariously balanced on a razor’s edge — one step away from catastrophe.

In barely a day, New Delhi’s pre-dawn strikes on six sites in Pakistan and Islamabad’s thunderous shoot down of five Indian fighters have drawn both nuclear-armed neighbors into a high wire act of provocation and reprisal.

India claimed it targeted militant groups allegedly linked to the April22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, but behind this flimsy excuse Delhi’s broader ambition seems crystal clear: to assert its regional dominance and redefine its relationship with Pakistan, whom it sees as an impediment to its rise as a regional power.

Delhi never produced public evidence tying Pakistan to the attack, nor did it heed international entreaties for restraint; instead it moved decisively as Indian leaders bid to achieve a “new normal” in ties with Pakistan, one in which preemptive and punitive strikes become instruments of policy.

Indian media later amplified official claims that some of those killed in Bahawalpur had ties to Jaish-e-Muhammad’s Masood Azhar, bolstering Delhi’s narrative that its strikes were against militants.

“No credible media outlet has confirmed it yet. But, indeed, if his (Masood Azhar’s) family members have been killed in these strikes then it will be a setback to Pakistani narrative of dismantling JeM and LeT. Once again worries of supporting jihadi proxies will arise with potential repercussion........

© Dawn