India has once again embarked upon its habitual theatrics of hostility and attack, issuing grandiloquent threats of “decisive response” and ominously alluding to “Operation Sindoor 2.0” if needed. In a self-scripted event of militarized drama, New Delhi launched airstrikes on Pakistan under the pretext of so-called “Operation Sindoor” for the Pahalgam incident revenge, one of the parts of the phantom allegations’ cycle. The strikes, intended as coercive signaling, unexpectedly resulted in a strategic embarrassment for India and a symbolic victory for Pakistan. The Indian leadership and media has repeatedly used the narrative of “cross-border terrorism” via jingoism to isolate Pakistan globally while covering its own problems inside and strategic failures outside.

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, along with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, has once again issued jingoistic and war-driven rhetoric against Pakistan. The Indian Defense Minister has warned that further phases of “Operation Sindoor” could come if Pakistan continues to “sponsor terrorism” inside India, familiar accusations that India uses to justify its aggression and hatred against Pakistan.

His remarks come after India faced setbacks during its military assault on Pakistan based on fabricated allegations. Meanwhile, the Indian Army Chief declared that the ongoing so-called “state-sponsored terrorism” could compel Pakistan to reconsider its map on the globe. These kinds of threatening statements reflect not only a new policy posture but also India’s old and deeply rooted war hysteria disguised as strategy.

These aggressive statements from India’s top military and civil leadership are not isolated outbursts; rather, they portray a large part of a larger national mindset shaped by politics, fear, and manufactured enmity towards Pakistan. New Delhi has repeatedly transformed its national identity into a theater of threat perception where Pakistan remains central. Although India portrays itself as the world’s largest democracy, in fact, its behavior contradicts the idea, exposing India’s pattern of conflict........

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