Internal enemies that work against national interests

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

Operation Sindoor is a resounding success. India made its point loud and clear. The cessation of hostilities is continuing, and the border areas are peaceful again. This is the time we need to be alert to the shadows lurking beneath the glow of euphoria over the victory.
These shadows are pregnant with questions. Indian history is littered with stories bearing testimony to such questions that have been ignored for centuries. From 326 BCE (Alexander's invasion) to 1962 (Chinese aggression), foreign invaders had won wars, killed our people and usurped our resources. In the light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's uncompromising policies and bold actions, we should now make a concerted effort to bridge the gap between courageous action and strategic success once for all.
Remember, we successfully divided Pakistan into two nations in 1971. Twenty-eight years later, on the freezing heights of Kargil, we stunned the world by defeating the Pakistan army in a brilliant and exceptional display of mountain warfare abilities. But these did little to stop cross-border terrorism or terrorist activities. This is why PM Modi has made a paradigm shift with Operation Sindoor. Now, every terror attack would be deemed as an act of war against India. And Pakistan's nuclear blackmail will not deter New Delhi from action against Islamabad.
Another critical milestone is New Delhi has steadily escalated the velocity and pressure between surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor. Western nations trying to mediate, deeming it as a confrontation between two nuclear-armed nations, should focus their energies on Pakistan's terror factory. If a Pahalgam-type incident is repeated, its consequences can be far worse. Regrettably, while the entire nation stood behind the Prime Minister, some people chose to play spoilsport.
Let me share some embarrassing examples.
During the days of the operation, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi briefed the media daily. It was a wise decision on the part of the Modi administration to send a message to the world that the entire 1.4 billion people stood together. Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's repugnant comment appeared in the media against this backdrop. He made an indecent comment, though obliquely. His words hurt the entire nation. The BJP brass intervened and forced him to apologise. But the impact of his misdemeanour is far-reaching.
Similarly, remarks made against Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi during his India visit by a retired major who calls himself a staunch nationalist, forced Indian diplomats to do firefighting after Iran took note of the comments.
Even foreign secretary Vikram Misri and his family were openly threatened by so-called 'nationalists' and were targeted by trolls. Himanshi Narwal, whose husband Lt Vinay Narwal was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam was also subjected to online attacks. All she said was that our fight is against terrorism and not Muslims. There are thousands like Himanshi Narwal, Colonel Qureshi, and foreign secretary Misri who were targeted by the troll army. Our armed forces can fight an external enemy, but who will take on these trolls?
Let's return to the border. During the operation, while retaliating, Pakistan used many Chinese weapons. The claims of their effectiveness were highly exaggerated, yet security experts insist that the Chinese armaments pose new challenges, especially with China planning to export new-generation weapons to Pakistan. During the conflict, China openly supported Pakistan, complicating the strategic equations for India. On the north-eastern borders, we have their armies and on the western borders, their weapons. Immediately after the ceasefire, news came in that China had changed the names of many villages, hamlets, and towns in Arunachal Pradesh. The ruling establishment in Beijing has been indulging in such unwanted acts since 2017. But what was the need to go ahead with this when tempers were running high between India and Pakistan?
Two of our former defence ministers, George Fernandes and Mulayam Singh Yadav, used to remind the country that China is the real danger for India. At that time, people brushed their fears aside, calling it socialist paranoia. However, did they really exaggerate the threat?
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal