On May 22nd, we marked one month since the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and today marks thirty days since ‘Operation Sindoor’, which India launched to avenge the deaths of the twenty-six innocent victims of Pahalgam.
Many may consider the operation over, but another operation of self-congratulatory rhetoric and claims of success continues to reverberate through our landscape. While we are busy fooling each other with numerous victory parades, Pakistan, which we have tried for decades to isolate internationally as the sponsor of terrorism, is appointed vice chair of the UNSC and chair of the Taliban Sanction Committee. This narrative is likely to persist until after the Bihar elections, scheduled for October 2025. Two things never end in India – the election and cricket. The operation lasted four days and concluded as inexplicably as it had started. Yet, there is no official documentation outlining its objectives or assessing our current position within the risk-benefit framework.
But what we have witnessed in the last thirty days has been unprecedented. From the people in the highest positions in the Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive to those on the ground, from the uneducated to the intelligent and educated, their behaviour defied logic and every possible quirky human psychology.
In the years ahead, we must stay prepared to convince the next generation that these events did take place and to ensure they understand the backgrounds and behaviours of many of us. We must preserve the memory and lessons of these moments to foster awareness about the positions we took amidst the numerous complexities that such situations created.
Let’s examine the major events and their distinctiveness.
It all started on April 22nd, when a group of terrorists emerged suddenly and killed 26 tourists in broad daylight. Their method and behaviour were unlike any terrorist attack seen in recent history. They did not appear hurried; instead, they carried out their operation over a few hours with calculated precision. This incident is perhaps one of the most documented terrorist attacks in history. Numerous photographs were captured by bystanders—some deliberately, others accidentally. Remarkably, after completing their mission, they just walked away and mingled in the crowd.
Is anyone tracking them? No discussion on their whereabouts yet. We are not interested in making the authorities accountable who were responsible for our safety and security.
The next day, on the 23rd, every news outlet—be it TV, newspapers, or social media—featured headlines like ‘Jati Poochke Mara’. The similarity, timing, coincidence, recurrence, script, and tone of the divisive messages it conveyed were unmistakable and deeply uncomfortable for the more intelligent and rational voices. It looked scripted and orchestrated for a purpose.
Sane voices who pointed this out and who asked for restraint were viciously trolled both online and offline by the people pumped with hatred and suspicion. They had not realised that in our current democracy, questioning the authorities and expressing dissent had become an anti-national act.
Kashmiris and certain communities were targeted by those seeking revenge, demanding blood for blood. Most of the electronic media, influenced by Arnab Goswami, recognised that adopting a jingoistic stance could yield massive ratings and profits. They went into overdrive, not only calling for a surgical strike to neutralise terrorist camps but also proposing the radical idea of splitting Pakistan into four or five India-friendly states, with PoK returning as a war trophy.
The slogan ‘Mumkin hai’ (It’s possible), which has since lingered for over a decade, has convinced many educated Indians that asserting dominance over the world is only a matter of time. And now, with Pahalgam as the latest pretext, some believe the time has come to execute this bold plan of regional dominance.
The cabinet gathered, and our mental war room buzzed with anticipation of the mythical Sudarshan Chakra flying toward Pakistan to avenge our loss of face. When the truth finally emerged, it was the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty—a daring move designed to control the flow of water for as long as deemed necessary.
Many believed they had caused a drought in Pakistan simply by turning a single valve on the Indus River. Supporters cheered, disappointed yet proud of what they saw as a bold action. Yet, amidst the clamour, voices of reason arose—many from Pahalgam widows—whose words were measured and free of anger or hysteria. The crowd who wanted to see blood trolled them mercilessly. Decisions of war, in their view, are no longer in the hands of the army or government experts but are instead made in newsrooms, led by anchors and, ultimately, by public opinion through a plebiscite.
There was an announcement for a mock drill, a relic of World War 2. Every news outlet carried that news as if war was about to happen low low-flying bombers are going to drop bombs on our houses. Sirens went off at a particular time, volunteers enacted a mock post-air raid scene, cameras clicked away, and reporters shoved their microphones at the face of the drill master to know more about the battles happening elsewhere.
Some people became so serious that the officials had to go to the press to tell them that it was a mock drill, not a real war.
Then the much-anticipated thing happened, at the early hours of May 7th, exercising its right to respond, India, while remaining well within its border, launched a controlled and precise attack on select hideouts and the institutions which patronize terror with no intention to escalate it to a war. The government briefing was exact and well thought out. Assisted by two women officers from the services, Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh the Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri briefed the press about the details of the operation. It was the perfect message to the international world about what our country is and what it stands for. Madhya Pradesh minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Shah termed Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a "sister of the same community as terrorists". The High Court ordered the filing of an FIR against him, and promptly came the SC to stay his arrest, and conducted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to enquire into the matter. In the meantime, the head of the SIT has been changed for his inappropriate (undesirable) behaviour.
No one is asking how a senior minister of cabinet rank can be so hateful and irresponsible in his statements towards a lady army officer just because she belongs to a particular community? No one is asking what special investigation is needed when his video of his hate speech is all over the internet? No one wants to see what exposure to hate speeches has turned us into.
What happened on the 8th May will go down in history as the most shameful act of the media. Reputed news channels, with the belligerent lead news anchor and his team of war experts who, by now, have become experts in dishing out cheap and fake jingoism, announced the fall of every city, port, and airbase of Pakistan and the fleeing of their top military and political leadership, shocking the nation. They had the AI-generated images and videos as evidence. By the morning, they were all seen eating crow. They promptly deleted those contents from their social media handles.
People didn’t question those people or the channels. They were back in business as usual. No one blamed them for spreading false news and alarm. Many accepted them as a part of psychological warfare which the state legitimately uses to lift the morale of its citizens and to demoralise the enemy. Many seem to have virtually experienced the reality of seeing Pakistan decimated.
But Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a Political Science professor at Ashoka University, was arrested in Delhi for a social media post related to Operation Sindoor. He was accused of making anti-war comments. Any layman who is not drunk with hatred and understands English can't find a word or intention of the anti-war allegation. His arrest sparked two things. The underground army traced his bloodline to Jinnah and took the WhatsApp forward route to deliver it to millions of their brethren, and a debate about free speech and equality in India. Ali Khan was later granted conditional bail, a gag order, not before being pulled up by the SC for being insensitive to the national cause with a monologue which smacks of indoctrinated hatred, which is a shame to their position and fairness.
His comments should be taught to future students of law to teach them how a wrong judge at the highest court can be a threat to the Constitution. We are least bothered about how individual rights cannot even be expected to be protected at the highest courts, especially if you are from the minority community.
Operation Sindoor, inexplicably stopped on the 4th day. Trump went to the press, declaring that he was behind preventing a nuclear war. By now, he has repeated it ten times with no firm rebuttal from our side. This war saw more lies flying about than missiles being fired. It seemed each was trying to outbid the other in telling lies. Pakistan declared a win, promoted its military head to the rank of Field Marshall. China’s military hardware won, and its economy found a new vertical for growth. Everyone won in this war.
C. Christine Fair, an authority on South Asia, remarked that India was caught off guard by Pakistan's swift military response—an outcome they had not anticipated. The myth of Indian superiority in military and airpower was shattered; losses on both sides were roughly equivalent. Fuelled by delusional nationalism and a jingoistic media urging military retaliation, the Indian leadership has found itself cornered, unable to pursue a full-scale war against a similarly powerful neighbour. With the United States unlikely to support such an escalation, and China watching closely and ready to call their bluff, India’s manoeuvring space is severely limited. The only viable option remaining for the political leadership is to project an image of face-saving restraint.
Is anyone asking what the mission goal of operation Sindoor and, what we gained, and what we lost? Where do we stand now?
‘Operation Sindoor’, from being the name of an operation, became a logo and a trademark to be cashed in - economically and politically. The political workers were asked to do a Tiranga Yatra – a victory parade, on the major streets, to convince people that we have won. Now, the same workers are carrying packets of Sindoor to each household to deliver the message of our win. The war (sic) is over, but the victory parade is showing no sign of ending. MPs from all political parties were sent to different countries to convince people of India's stands. Many of them are seen at various dinner tables singing songs and making merry. Who doesn’t love a free foreign junket?
Who are we deceiving in this charade? There has been no better attempt to appropriate everything for a political gain. Religion, language, history, food habits, names, institutions, and constitutional positions are now the tools.
Whether you call it a coincidence or a divine comedy, the latest instalment of the Mission Impossible series—The Final Reckoning centres on lies. The world teeters on the brink of total annihilation as an artificial intelligence called ‘Entity’ has escaped human control and gone rogue. It is infiltrating every secure system at an alarming pace, replacing truth with convincing lies to incite major nuclear powers to wage war. A line from the film aptly captures our reality: "The world is ending, truth is dying, and war is beginning."
At this critical juncture, amidst major conflicts across the globe, the emergence of a new political and economic order, the conduct of those we once looked up to for guidance and security has been alarmingly reckless and unpredictable. Rapacity and strategic randomness are the new order. Equally disheartening is the herd mentality of their followers, whose increasing number of mindless lambs is cause for concern. Are we so blind that we fail to recognise the unseen ‘Entity’ at work, or are we merely playing the camel, ignoring the storm brewing right at our doorstep?
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Dispassionate observations. Kudos.
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