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First Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
How Operation Sindoor signals strategic shift, redraws red lines for Pakistan
(File) Operation Sindoor displayed on the screen during a press briefing by the Indian armed forces, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 11, 2025. PTI Every military clash between India and Pakistan has exposed the latter's sinister designs with ignominious outcomes. In October 1947, Pakistan surreptitiously attacked Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and illegally occupied one third of the state. In 1965 it invaded India with the aim to grab J&K, but the attempt failed miserably. In 1971, Pakistani aggression ended in its breakup, debunking the 'Two Nation' theory. Even in 1999, Pakistan's Kargil misadventure was a disaster, which was tantamount to its national humiliation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The recent military standoff in the aftermath of a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, came as a severe jolt to Pakistani military rulers, who were forced to clamour for a ceasefire. As a retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' on the night of May 6-7, targeting nine terrorist camps through precision aerial strikes. It resulted in killing over 100 terrorists, including prominent ones like Yousf Azhar, Chief of 'Lashkar e Taiba' (LeT), and Abu Jindal, causing a serious setback to Pakistan's military-terror nexus. It was for the first time since 1971 that air strikes were undertaken across the international border (IB), signifying a major shift in India's response to the cross-border terrorism. The magnitude of India's action was evident from an hour-long aerial standoff between the two sides, wherein over 70 fighter jets from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and around 50 from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were involved, leading to possibly the biggest air combat since World War II. Pakistan retaliated by targeting 26 Indian cities and defence installations with swarm drones and missiles. However, India's robust, multi-layered air defence formed an impenetrable shield and effectively foiled Pakistan's design. Never before have India's indigenous equipment, along with Russian and Western platforms, been pitched against the Chinese systems. In the counterstrike, India targeted major Pakistani airfield bases across the entire length of the border, including Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, Lahore and Karachi, besides critical air bases in Sargodha and Jacobabad, closely linked with nuclear infrastructure, inflicting heavy damage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On May 10, Pakistan launched 'Operation Bunyan-un-Maroos' – attempted aerial strikes against 16 Indian airfields but met with little success. The Line of Control (LoC) witnessed intense firing involving the use of heavy artillery and high-calibre weapon systems. Amidst heightened tension, on May 10, a ceasefire came into effect at Pakistan's bidding. The four-day standoff witnessed India raising the escalatory bar and junking Pakistan's assumptions with far-reaching ramifications, as enumerated below: 'Operation Sindoor' marked a tectonic shift in India's strategy in its fight against terrorism, evident from the intensity of reprisal. The politico-militant intent was to deter the Pakistan Army with a clear message – mend the ways or face the consequences. In his address to the nation on May 12, two days after the ceasefire, PM Modi emphatically stated that India will not be blackmailed by the nuclear threats, and any act of terrorism by Pakistan will be treated as an act of war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan Army's doctrine of waging low-cost proxy war based on the strategic calculus that the nuclear weapons will shield it against India's major retaliation stood invalidated. It was proved that in the escalatory ladder there are a number of steps below the nuclear threshold. India undoubtedly got the better of Pakistan as it successfully foiled the latter's aerial strikes and drone intrusions while effectively hitting targets deep inside the enemy's heartland. Pakistan's air defence based on the Chinese-Turkey systems could not withstand India's integrated response composed of homegrown missiles, drones, jammers, radars and satellites. It marked India's debut in the high-tech war domain. On May 10, President Trump facilitated the orchestration of a ceasefire to obviate Pakistan's defeat. As India is opposed to external mediation, Delhi did clarify that the ceasefire was between India and Pakistan and not brokered externally. The global scene today is characterised by the proliferation of complex alliances. The international community did extend support to India but not in the way Delhi expected. This is despite the fact that most countries except for Islamabad's handful of allies believe that Pakistan exports terrorism. China-Pakistan ironclad relations stood vindicated, and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan committing to 'stand by the brotherly people of Pakistan in good and bad times' indicates the emergence of a trilateral alliance. Bangladesh, given its new alignment, could make it a foursome. The US has been playing a double game given its strategic interest vis-à-vis Pakistan. Only Israel supported India openly, while Quad members' responses remained subdued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There are a number of takeaways for India from the recent skirmish. Deterrence, being the sum of intent and capability, was amply demonstrated during 'Operation Sindoor'. To make the deterrence more credible, India needs to significantly enhance its military capability, given two-front scenarios are now a foregone reality. It is high time to formulate the national security strategy and war-fighting doctrine. The 'National Comprehensive Power' and warfighting potential are no more an option but an imperative. Given India's strategic interests as an emerging regional power, force projection capability is crucial. In modern warfare, air domination is a prerequisite to shape the battlefield environment. Air power stands out as the sword arm and not a supporting one, as was once propagated by General Rawat, the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Recently, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of Air Staff, has forthrightly brought out the need to bridge the capability gap vis-à-vis China. Incidentally, the Chinese Air Force has around 200 J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets in its inventory. On the other hand, India's 'Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft' (AMCA), a fifth-generation stealth fighter programme, is still in the early stages, with production likely to begin after a decade. There are reports about China fast-tracking production of another stealth fighter J-35, which Pakistan is set to acquire. This will seriously upset the existing strategic balance. A strong navy is vital for power projection where carrier battle groups provide the winning edge. Submarines do not substitute for aircraft carriers, as the two are mutually exclusive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India needs to execute limited responses at short notice, as in the current faceoff, Pakistan got adequate time to prepare. This implies restructuring of the higher defence organisational setup. Deep-rooted military reforms are required to accelerate defence modernisation programmes. Besides, defence spending needs to be enhanced to three per cent of the GDP. The vulnerability gaps must be realistically analysed and effectively addressed with a sense of urgency. It is necessary to undertake a reality check of Atma Nirbhar self-reliance programmes so these do not impinge on operational efficiency. Our foreign policy definitely merits recalibrations, and a more proactive approach is needed. Investment in real-time narrative building through diplomatic channels and global media is paramount to counter Pakistan's misinformation campaign as well as China's Grey Zone Warfare (GZW). A recent initiative aimed at global outreach by sending seven delegations composed of eminent political leaders and diplomats to various countries is a step in the right direction. Defence diplomacy has emerged as an important component in the prevailing international ecosystem. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Operation Sindoor stands out as a pivotal moment in India's fight against terrorism with a paradigm shift in its strategy and redefined red lines. Being a nation's call, it implies that every instrument of the state must be optimally employed to take the fight to its logical conclusion. Here on, the rules of the game are set to change, making Pakistan's proxy war a cost-prohibitive proposition. The writer is a war veteran, currently Professor of Strategic and International Relations. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Arabian Post
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Season of madness in the age of terror
Matein Khalid He was a handsome young Gen-Z kid from Dubai, son of a Sindhi family long settled in the UAE, only a few years older than my twins. I can just imagine him as a toddler, all decked out in Babyshop diapers, then a little guy having his birthday bash with his classmates at McDonalds or Kidzania, as an IHS student on a school bus in Oud Metha Road. Then a young college graduate, I can imagine his parents' sheer joy when he married his beautiful bride and who would have ever thought that their last picture together would be a testament to a lost youth and a doomed love. He made one fatal mistake that cost him his life and a lifetime of grief for all those who loved him in a life cut short by merciless animals with guns who decided that he and 25 other innocent human beings must die, just because they hated his religion. Neeraj Udhwani's life was stolen by a cabal of terrorists in an exquisite Kashmir resort town called Pahalgam, his murder, an act of political symbolism in the lethal game of nations by murderers who have broken every shred of decency that defines the human condition. Dr. Lambert, my old prof., used to say 'there is one compelling reason why we should study international politics' – 'this stuff kills'. Neeraj is with God now, as is Dr. Lambert. RIP. The powerless have always been defined in terms of the powerful in India and Pakistan, two states created amid the bloodlust of one of history's most obscene spasms of violence in August 1947, the summer of Partition. Kashmir was the jewel that both successor states to the British Empire wanted to annex to their tarnished, bloodstained crown in the name of a phony Two Nation Theory. In an ancient land that encompassed a thousand nations, 330 million Gods, religious/cultural syncretism and a society that is a laboratory of human diversity and communal coexistence. See also Trump's Tariff Gamble: A Path to Global Recession? Yet as in 1965, 1971, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2016 and 2019, India and Pakistan are mired in the pantomime of war that will claim countless more lives on both sides just to appease the sacred fury of mindless nationalism. 25 centuries ago great souls like Mahavira and the Gautama Buddha walked the face of the earth and we now live in the age of space travel, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Yet we have not lost the primal urge to kill and murder to sacrifice the young and the innocent in the name of vengeful deities, like the tribe of hereditary stranglers known as thuggis who committed mass murder of strangers on the remote roads of late Mughal India in the name of the Goddess Kali. Why does this undercurrent of bestial violence disfigure the kaleidoscope of the subcontinent's history? Why was the tryst with destiny so hollow and the freedom at midnight such a cruel illusion if the endgame was to have midnight's grandchildren massacred in terrorist outrages from Peshawar to Colaba, Kashmir to Balochistan, Dhaka to Jaffna? Modi will launch a retaliatory strike and General Munir, the Luminous One, has every political incentive to climb up the escalatory ladder to whip up the nationalist zealots who legitimize his praetorian regime. Balakot was a close call but sanity prevailed on both sides before either reached the point of no return. Yet who knows if a miss calculation now could lead to a tactical nuclear strike by a Pakistan high command that has never abandoned a first use capability doctrine? Will the ultimate act of terror be a mushroom cloud over a subcontinental battlefield or God forbid an entire city via a nuclear weapon fired in blind anger or primal fear? If this is freedom at midnight, India and Pakistan can have it. May the Gods destroy the miasma of evil that swirls in the netherworld of our ancestral motherlands' pathological power politics. John Lenon was so right in Imagine, all we are saying is, give peace a chance! See also How Trump's tariff war dismantled US trade credibility Also published on Medium. Notice an issue? Arabian Post strives to deliver the most accurate and reliable information to its readers. If you believe you have identified an error or inconsistency in this article, please don't hesitate to contact our editorial team at editor[at]thearabianpost[dot]com. We are committed to promptly addressing any concerns and ensuring the highest level of journalistic integrity.
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First Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Asim Munir's rant signals Pakistan reverting to instability, intimidation and ideology
In his recent address to the expatriates, the Pakistani army chief ticked off a number of topics: a dismissive mention of the 'little bit' of terrorism in Balochistan, reminders about Pakistan's history, Kashmir, and the supposed civilisational divide between Hindus and Muslims read more Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir's animated, chest-thumping speech to a group of overseas Pakistanis has left analysts wondering what he was trying to convey—and why he chose to speak at all. Until now, the one arguably positive trait about the general was that, while he was omnipresent in pictures and television frames, he rarely spoke. With his latest statements—threatening action on Kashmir, invoking the 'Two Nation' theory, and more—it seems Pakistan is reverting to its old script: terror, instability, and ideological grandstanding. And that spells trouble. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why did Munir speak at all? In what Geo News called a 'historic' address, Munir ticked off a number of topics: a dismissive mention of the 'little bit' of terrorism in Balochistan, reminders about Pakistan's history, Kashmir, and the supposed civilisational divide between Hindus and Muslims. First, it's surprising that the army chief chose to speak at all. In most countries, such gatherings of expatriates are addressed by a prime minister or finance minister. These are usually opportunities to present economic data, outline investment opportunities, and build confidence. Instead, this audience got an emotional tirade—against the Baloch, against Hindus, and against just about everyone else. It was a clear signal: neither expats nor anyone else needs to believe that a democratic system exists in Pakistan. It's now official—the military is in charge. The prime minister might as well go on permanent leave. Just a 'little' terrorism? One of the most alarming moments was Munir's offhand reference to 'a little terrorism'. Pakistan ranks second-worst globally on the Global Terrorism Index. Its own official reports admit to a nine-year high in terrorist incidents, with a 66 per cent increase in 2024 alone. On average, nearly seven lives are lost every day due to terrorism. Prominent Pakistani politicians have acknowledged that large parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are effectively outside government control. Operations in KP date back to 2001, with campaigns like Operation Rah-e-Nijat involving tanks, airstrikes, and full-scale military deployment. In Balochistan, the air force has been used against domestic insurgents—a reality that has persisted since 1947. And yet, the insurgency has only grown stronger, as seen in incidents like the Jaffar Express hijacking. So, when Munir rattles sabres to loud cheers from the audience, it rings hollow. Worse, it may endanger even him, especially considering his audience likely included military colleagues. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A skewed history lesson At one point, Munir urged the audience to teach their children about the birth of Pakistan. Frankly, it might be better if they didn't. Independence was not a uniformly desired outcome. Balochistan resisted it; tribal regions, including those with the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, were actively pushing for a different future. Even in Punjab—despite its 57 per cent Muslim majority—support for Jinnah was far from unanimous. The Muslim League secured just 73 of 175 seats, barely edging out Congress. In Sindh, the League won only 27 of 60 seats. Its only major victory was in Bengal, which ultimately left Pakistan in 1971 after a brutal military crackdown. In essence, Pakistan's creation was contested at every level. What's even more troubling is Munir's revival of the Hindu-Muslim divide—rhetoric clearly aimed at India's Muslims, and that suggests sinister intent. Gaza gets a weak hand Munir's vibrant support for Gaza also rang hollow. While Pakistan does send occasional aid, it's not even among the top 20 donor countries. Moreover, much of that aid is reportedly channelled through Al Khidmat Foundation, the charitable wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which has long supported terrorist organisations. In 2006, JeI openly handed a cheque to Hamas—then already a designated terrorist group—and maintains contact with its leaders. Hamas figures were recently seen at a 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' rally in Pakistan, and JeI's Sirajul Haq has met Hamas leadership in Iran. Reports allege the group raises funds in the US and Europe, often using orphanages as a front. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This isn't the support Munir spoke of—but he certainly knows it exists. JeI's calls for jihad in Kashmir are public knowledge. Munir's emotional cry about Kashmir being Pakistan's 'jugular vein' reveals a bitter truth: with Article 370 gone, it appears Pakistan sees itself as metaphorically 'throttled'. Yet ironically, Pakistan, in 1949, separated Gilgit-Baltistan from so-called 'Azad Kashmir' (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) through an agreement that remains secret and legally dubious. Unfounded claims of 'rise' Munir also made vague references to Pakistan's supposed 'rise', though it's unclear by what metrics. Consider his audience: the largest overseas Pakistani populations are in the UK, US, and Saudi Arabia. In the UK, Pakistanis are among the poorest communities, living in some of the most income-deprived neighbourhoods. Indians, by contrast, are among the most affluent. That's why Indian diaspora events tend to focus on investment and soft power—not ideological lectures. Still, overseas Pakistanis contribute significantly to the homeland, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of GDP with remittances touching $33 billion. India, in comparison, receives $129 billion, but that constitutes just 3 per cent of its GDP. Pakistani-Americans are better off, but in the UK, they form what is now widely seen as one of the most radicalised segments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Munir's speech wasn't targeted at affluent, educated professionals who tend to avoid public identification with Pakistan. Instead, it was aimed at nationalist elements among the diaspora. Rather than showcasing reform, he offered threats. Despite the applause, Munir had nothing to sell except intimidation—and that, ultimately, was the real message. The writer is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. She tweets @kartha_tara. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
