An image for ages
Perhaps there could not have been a more powerful image than this. Two young soldiers, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, sitting on either side of foreign secretary Vikran Misri, announcing to the world Operation Sindoor, India's measured, non-escalatory and precision strike against terror hubs in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and inside Pakistan. In response to the massacre in Pahalgam a fortnight ago.
The image sent a message more powerful than the multiple attacks India struck post-midnight on May 7, almost a fortnight after 26 innocent tourists were gunned down in a gruesome terror attack at the picturesque meadow at Pahalgam in Kashmir. The image symbolised more than Indian armed forces' ability to avenge bloodbath by hired killers handled by their mai baap operating from across the border.
In one stroke the two young officers from India's armed forces exposed the Himalayan lie in the statement of Pak army chief Asim Munir who seems to be stuck in the darks days of 1947. Munir and his ilk must have drowned in melancholy as these young soldiers, one Muslim and one Hindu, detailed the intensity with which terror hideouts were torn apart.
The celebrations on Indian streets are justified. This was a masterstroke on the part of our armed forces. They say 'what is in name'. A lot if you consider the timing and the context.
Operation Sindoor sought to salve the wounds of women who were widowed by the bunch of brutes that sunny afternoon at the meadow in Pahalgam. Many are calling it the old patriarchal mindset. They criticise the strike's very name 'Operation Sindoor.'
The critics must understand Indian society and its symbols. Sindoor or vermillion has a strong significance in our society where 'suhaag' or marriage of a woman is symbolised also by application of this sindoor on the married women's forehead. No wonder, there are many films, television serials, songs and plays underscoring the value of this sindoor. By naming the strike after a powerful, everyday product like sindoor, the Government of India paid a rich and timely tribute to the women who lost their husbands at the hands of the terrorists on April 22. Also, it sent a message that Indian defence forces are committed to safeguard the sindoor of all married women in the length and breadth of the country.
By choosing two young officers from the armed forces, one Muslim and one Hindu, to brief the media on Operation Sindoor, the armed forces reiterated their commitment to communal harmony and secular character.
The image suitably sought to silence the hate brigade which has no qualms in questioning Muslims' loyalty to the country. Indian Muslims do not need certificate of patriotism from anyone, especially from the hate mongers whose forebears either remained absent from the freedom struggle or colluded with the British colonialists.
There are many examples of Muslim freedom fighters refusing to succumb to pressure from colonial powers. There are examples to show how, despite horrendous conditions in prison or offers of parole, the patriots refused to write mercy petitions.
Take Maulana Azad. Azad was imprisoned at Ahmed Nagar Jail. One day the jailer informed Azad that his wife was seriously ill at their home in Calcutta and that the British authorities had decided to grant him release on parole if he sent an application. Refusing this offer, Azad said it was beyond his dignity to beseech the British for a furlough. His wife died a painful death in her husband's husband. Azad shed copious tears at her grave post-release from prison.
The valour and sacrifice of Muslim soldiers in fights against Pakistan or any other country is part of the military folklore. Suffice it to say that their loyalty to India is next to none.
The same can be said about the Muslim masses. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Muslims stand in solidarity with the Indian armed forces' response to the terror attacks in our country.
The image of Qureshi and Singh addressing the press conference after India's strike against terror hideouts in POK and inside Pakistan has once again demonstrated that the country is one when it comes to fighting foreign enemies. The image will be remembered for ages.
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