A visual of the strike conducted by Indian Armed Forces in PoK and Pakistan as a part of 'Operation Sindoor' (Photo: IANS)
With the sequential tit-for-tat attacks unravelling in the last few days, the danger has become very real that India will play into the hands of the terrorists behind the dastardly Pahalgam massacre of innocent tourists, and engage in a protracted conflict with Pakistan.
It may be noted that early last Wednesday, India unleashed a barrage of missiles on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), totally decimating some of the infrastructures erected by the terrorist groups thriving under the umbrella provided by Pakistan. The entire country was also placed on high alert, security drills being held for effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack across 244 districts in the country.
The Indian action was absolutely justified, since it was incumbent upon New Delhi to take some kind of punitive action against the perpetrators of a horrific assault. It can also be pointed out that the Indian offensive was limited solely to terrorist hideouts and training camps and Pakistan’s military establishment was not in any way targeted.
However, perhaps motivated by its own political compulsions, considering that currently it is on shaky grounds, the Pakistan regime sought to escalate the conflict, by attempting to attack a number of Indian military bases with missiles and drones. That the assault was pathetically unsuccessful is a testimony to the soundness of the Indian air defence system in repulsing such attempts.
Not deterred by the initial failure, and unmindful of the possibility that the conflict might escalate further, the Pakistani military has persisted in continuing to target northern and western Indian cities using drones and missiles, all of which were shot down by the Indian forces. Simultaneously, the Pakistani army has been, in a provocative gesture, firing continuously across the Line of Control, causing deaths and alarm amongst the civilian population living in the border areas.
In contrast, India has been observing admirable restraint and, although it has not been put in the public domain, activating diplomatic channels to prevent the conflict from escalating.
It is perhaps no coincidence that the Foreign Ministers of two friendly Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, had visited India in the midst of the fighting.
However, it has been observed that the world community has not displayed the level of concern a state of hostility between two nuclear-empowered nations should have. Its casual response is illustrated by the comments of the US Vice President JD Vance, who has ruled out American intervention in the conflict, calling it “none of our business” and urging both sides to pursue de-escalation through diplomacy.
In the recent past, the two countries have clashed multiple times, most recently in 2019. Fortunately, those clashes did not explode into an all-out war, but the danger of one breaking out this time is all too real to be ignored.