No doubt, Pakistan had an edge over India in the recent military conflict, causing more damage to the aggressor in terms of strategic assets. Pakistan reaffirmed not only its strategic deterrence—breaking the myth of Indian conventional military superiority—but also stripped India of its perceived diplomatic clout at the global level. The Indian narrative accusing Pakistan of terrorism in Pahalgam did not elicit a favourable response from any major country in Europe, the Middle East, or Greater Asia, including the US, UK, Russia, and France, thereby rendering its military posturing a brazen act of provocation, aggression, and a threat to regional and global security.

However, Indian leaders have failed to accept reality, continuing to display a defiant and angry attitude. The post-ceasefire statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, contradicted ground realities as reported by international media. These statements clearly aimed at damage control and cooling off the public frenzy they had so foolishly unleashed through war hysteria and jingoism. While claiming victory in the recent military confrontation, they continued threatening Pakistan with a so-called “new normal”, accusing it of involvement in the terrorist attack and acting as prosecutor, judge, and executioner. They also threatened to hinder the flow of rivers into Pakistan, turning it into a desert or forcing it to accept changes to the Indus Waters Treaty on their terms.

So far, India has taken no steps to inspire confidence in its sincerity regarding peace and good neighbourliness. Instead, it has dispatched politically broad-based and representative delegations to various........

© The Friday Times