Should India draw any lessons from the latest fiasco that an arrogant Israel suffered? Technological superiority can guarantee defence but it can hardly enforce total submission by a nation that prides itself on thousands of years of nationhood – also gelled by a common religious belief.

Let us first glance through the Indian conduct post Pahalgam. It unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and dared to establish a neo-normal by sending drones and missiles deep inside Pakistan between May 7 and 10. Regardless of who did it and whether the entire episode was somehow multilaterally scripted, the Indian government's narrative evoked both negativity as well as skepticism at home and abroad. Officials mostly hid behind ambiguity, pretending innocence wrapped in a self-righteousness. Not many abroad bought the Indian projection of being a victim of Pakistan-driven terrorism after the May 7 strikes deep inside Pakistan.

The consternation caused in Tehran by India's explicit support for Israel – no condemnation at all – its refrain from calling out Israel for its aggression, and its refusal to sign off the SCO statement during the conflict that called out Israel for the violence against Iran has had its impact too. India endured more isolation – if not insult – at the SCO Defence Ministers/Security Advisors huddle at Qingdao, China (June 26) when the joint communiqué made a reference to "militant activities in Balochistan", but made no........

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