Letters to The Editor — May 9, 2025

The Hindu

09-05-2025

India's operation
In India's Operation Sindoor, countless personnel and professionals have played their part: from intelligence analysts who have tracked targets for weeks, to drone pilots who have operated their missions under extreme stress, to the naval forces who maintained strategic positions off the coast, ready for escalation if necessary, to, finally, the Army and the Air Force too.
To Pakistan, the message has been made clear: India's threshold for tolerance has shifted. Inaction is no longer the default. And to the world, this has been a reminder that India, when pushed, moves with calculated force, not chaos. It is not a celebration of war, but a celebration of deterrence — the kind born not from provocation, but preparation.
This is an operation that will go down in history as a mission carried out with iron resolve. To every armed forces personnel, this is your moment. And the nation thanks you.
K.J. Haroon Basha,
Vaniyambadi, Tamil Nadu
India has struck at terror bases inside Pakistan, but a real question that needs to be asked is whether India has really succeeded in hunting down those responsible for the Pahalgam attack. The operations so far have achieved their purpose — decimating certain terror camps that were detrimental to peace in Kashmir and India.
Prabhu Raj R.,
Bengaluru
The first step to minimise escalation is for both sides to avoid playing to the gallery or taking a position for political one-upmanship. Operation Sindoor has achieved its limited objectives from the Indian point of view. It is for Pakistan to accept that terror attacks emanate from its soil.
Wiser counsel should prevail upon India's neighbour. Pakistan needs to reflect upon what the Mahatma said: 'An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.'
A.V. Narayanan,
Chennai
As expected, India's mobilisation of countermeasures following the massacre in Pahalgam has culminated in strong military action. This must serve as a lesson to Pakistan against nurturing terrorist elements on its soil, despite global pressure to take credible action against the UN-designated terrorists roaming free in that country. Pakistan's sympathisers would do well to educate that country about the new global situation and advise it to behave. Ratcheting up the rhetoric of war will not help anyone, and definitely not Pakistan which is facing economic distress and insurgency in some parts.
Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai
Operation Sindoor not only signals a new chapter in India's counter-terrorism doctrine but also marks a strategic shift in India's military response to terrorism, combining surgical precision, multi-service coordination and symbolic messaging. This is diplomatic and tactful action taken by India to expose Pakistan's status as a rogue nation which actively promotes and patronises terrorism worldwide. India's assertive retribution to the Pahalgam attack is only a first salvo of a seemingly long-drawn-out battle.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
It is time for Pakistan to cease its support for terrorism and understand that further aggression will lead to punishment. A strong message must be conveyed: India's patience is not weakness. We will take all measures to ensure our national security.
Lawrence Vadukut,
Thrissur, Kerala