In a democracy the government will always be criticised by opposition voices even when its policies and actions are not wrong. How else will the opposition find political space for itself? When one talks of the opposition, it includes social activists, journalists, political commentators and others who are also critical of the government for ideological, intellectual and other reasons. But such criticism should not be at the cost of larger national interest.

These broad opposition circles in India are creating controversies over the post-Pahalgam-Operation Sindoor against Pakistan which abets its propaganda and plays into the hands of anti-Indian lobbies abroad. The Congress is particularly vociferous in its attacks on the government. It has made an issue of the ceasefire that India has accepted. President Donald Trump has created the ground for this by announcing the ceasefire even before India and Pakistan could do so, giving the impression that India had succumbed to US pressure.

The Congress and others are aware of Trump’s penchant for loose and exaggerated talk and his obsession to be seen as a peacemaker. His inconsistent and contradictory commentary on the Ukraine conflict, sometimes showing an understanding of Russia’s military action and at other times condemning it and threatening more sanctions, should give thought to those who would take him at his word. Why engage in distasteful rhetoric of the “Narendra Surrender" kind?

That the US intervened diplomatically with India and Pakistan to avoid an escalation of the conflict was to be expected given decades of US involvement in the subcontinent largely in favour of Pakistan, as well as concerns about the implications of nuclear-armed and increasingly radicalised Pakistan’s military defeat. That could raise the possibility of an eventual breakup of Pakistan, as the army is seen as the glue that binds the country together.

With the independence movement in Balochistan and the violent activities of the TTP from Afghan soil these concerns must have become sharper. The US has always backed a strategic balance in the subcontinent which requires a Pakistan capable of standing up to India, even if this is not the only reason........

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