Who won the war?

Business Recorder

24-05-2025

'In war, truth is the first casualty.' This quote is commonly attributed to the great Greek philosopher Aeschylus, but US Senator Hiram Johnson is purported to have uttered these words sometime in 1918.
However, Aeschylus' name has been hammered so much while using this quote that the truth has taken a back seat. The same applies to history, especially the war history, where 'we' always win and 'you' lose.
The brief four-day Pakistan-India conflict of May 2025 is yet another example, where the truth appears to have vanished in the poisonous fog of claims and counterclaims, allegations and counter-allegations.
Interestingly, the two archenemies have huge claims not just about the war, but ceasefire too. The masses on both sides of the great divide stand confused about how to separate facts from fiction. Let's try to make sense of this short clash, having repercussions not only on the region but beyond it.
Who won this 'war'? A simple answer: China
Although China did not directly take part in it, the Chinese technology did prove its mettle. In fact, it was the first time that advanced Chinese weapons were tested in a real conflict against cutting-edge western technology. And indeed, the Chinese impressed friends and foes alike. Now along with the economic rise of China, the US-led Western bloc will also have to worry about its technological advancement.
As far as Pakistan and India are concerned, they both are claiming victory. But the fact is that, India failed to cower down Pakistan. India's hardline Hindu extremist government, suffering from an acute megalomania, thought Pakistan would prove a pushover. But the game turned the other way. Even the international media acknowledged Pakistan's air superiority – thanks to the Chinese technology – and its kills.
While the Indian side is mum about its losses, the Pakistanis boast downing three French-made Rafael and three other combat aircraft. There are no two opinions about the losses suffered by the Indian side. Independent sources also confirm that at least two Rafale fighter planes have been shot down, but this does not mean that there are no others.
Both Pakistan and India claim that the rival approached the United States for a ceasefire. The US leadership, which in the wake of simmering tensions in South Asia, had maintained that it had nothing to do with conflict, suddenly jumped to act as a peacemaker. President Donald Trump took the lead and took the credit of brokering a ceasefire, though he did not provide any details.
For many, an incomplete truth is more dangerous than a lie. CNN's Nick Robertson reported that India requested a ceasefire from the US President after the intensity of Pakistani counterattack. But the Indians now deny this.
Chinese technology proves its mettle: a cyberwar
Can fighter planes' navigation systems be hacked? Can missiles or UAVs be blinded and re-guided? Has China's mysterious technology left the West behind? Is it a non-kinetic warfare era, or we may call it Cyberwar?
After the latest Pakistan-India clash, many big questions hover before the world, especially the western powers.
On the Pakistan side, J-10C and PL-15 missiles and on other side Rafale fighters and Brahmos missiles with S-400 system. In the wee hours of May 7, the world witnessed the biggest battle in the skies after World War-II, that would long be reviewed and scrutinised by defence experts the world over.
This was the first time in history that the Chinese weapons were used in a war. The state-of-the-art Chinese technology and the skills of the Pakistan Air Force stunned the world. China is all set to emerge as a major player in the global arms market, challenging the monopoly of the US and European weapon manufacturers.
Beside terms like 'soft kill' and 'hard kill,' many relatively new phrases including 'electronic warfare', 'spectrum warfare operations', 'cyber and space domains', 'stand of weapons', 'microwave weapon', 'spoofing & jamming', the 'multimodel warfare' – all became the buzz words on the traditional and new media. We also learnt that this technological warfare was just a glimpse of the actual super-tech cyber warfare era.
Journalist versus jokers
The Indian media, which usually remains successful in creating a global narrative against Pakistan, badly flopped in this round. The kind of madness and hysterics witnessed on the Indian news channels find no place in serious journalism. Its anchorpersons and analysts appeared more like inexperienced jokers who even can't perform their acts of folly in style and convincingly.
The theatrically and propagandist style of the Indian media failed to convince the world or build even a logical narrative. Performers including Arnab Goswami, Amish Devgan, Rubika Liaquat, Anjana Om Kashyap, Smita Prakash, Sudhir Chaudhry and Barkha Dutt put up a bad show as they plunged into shallow emotionalism and blurted out fake news.
Despite their limitation and absence of English-language news channels, it is for the first time that Pakistan's mainstream and social media made an impact on the global forums.
The same kind of difference was witnessed in the military briefings of both the countries. The Pakistani appeared confident, logical and mature compared to their Indian counterparts.
Actions speak louder than words
Many hidden facts about this conflict would emerge with the passage of time, but whatever is available bust the Indian narrative and claims.
Firstly, India's global position has suffered a serious blow. India, which is the World's fifth-largest economy and vying for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, failed to emerge as a decisive force in its own backyard.
Its ambitions to be seen as a counterweight to China on the back of the support of the US-led Western bloc also lies shattered. Going forward, India's western sponsors would be wary of putting all their eggs in the Indian basket. India, doused in anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan hate and carrying the banner of the extremist Hindutva ideology, has proved that it is no match to China.
Setbacks for India
India always took a stance that Kashmir remains an internal affair and refused any mediation on this issue. But its misadventure has internationalized the Kashmir issue once again. To the much chagrin of India, it is now clear that ceasefire has been brokered under the US pressure, and President Trump has offered his good offices to settle the Kashmir issue. Now Washington is also pushing for negotiations between the two countries at a neutral venue. Obviously, Pakistan will make the best use of this opportunity to internationalize the Kashmir issue, while India would resist and focus only on the alleged cross-border terrorism which Islamabad firmly denies.
Secondly, India's status as a regional power vis-à-vis China has severely been damaged. As India's military capability against Pakistan stands exposed, China has proved its superiority from the shadows.
The third important point is that India has increasingly become isolated even in its neighbourhood. It is at odds not just with Pakistan and China, but beside Afghanistan and Iran, Bangladesh has also taken an independent line. Its relations with Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives are also challenging. While, clear stance of Türkiye and Azerbaijan during the war is an indication that China's allies in the world are increasing.
Fourthly, Pakistan's image in the region and in the global context has improved significantly, while India's reputation has taken a major jolt.
The Modi government also faces a growing tide of opposition within the country as secular Indians, including key religious minorities, are out to challenge Hindutva politics. The upcoming Bihar elections will prove an acid test for this phenomenon.
On a concluding note, the remarks of Indian Gen. P.R. Shankar (retd) that the Pakistanis used the Chinese weapons better than the Chinese should bring a smile on the faces of many Pakistanis. The Indian general said: 'I always said (that) between the Chinese and Pakistan, I (would) prefer to fight the Chinese because Pakistanis are good at fighting, even you can see it now.'
There can be no greater success than winning a praise from the enemy. But aren't the Indians misjudging the Chinese as they misjudged the Pakistanis? A point to ponder.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025