india-s-bold-response-when-patience-meets-precision

When most of India slept, our armed forces jointly executed what will be remembered as one of the deadliest counter-terrorism operations in recent history. Operation Sindoor, as it has been christened, represents not merely a military manoeuvre but a decisive shift in India's doctrine towards cross-border terrorism. India has hit back at the doors of sin at nine locations in Pakistan, a lesson that the generation will remember.

 

Having tolerated Pakistan-sponsored terror on Indian soil, the 25-minute coordinated pinpoint strike has sent out a clear message that says, our nation has exercised remarkable restraint in the face of provocations for far too long, but not anymore. If there is an attack in Pahalgam, which robbed wives of husbands and children of fathers, the perpetrators and their masters must suffer a worse fate.

 

While Pakistan has long excelled at manipulating international opinion despite harbouring terrorist infrastructure, India has historically struggled to frame its defensive actions effectively. Operation Sindoor changes this calculus decisively.

 

The swift hand of justice

 

A message has been sent, written not in diplomatic platitudes but in the language that terror outfits understand. Prime Minister Modi, after careful deliberation with the National Security Advisor and Home Minister, authorised this 25-minute precision strike merely two weeks after the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, clearly a bold response where preparation coupled with precision far exceeded any terrorist imagination.

 

Through these opinion columns, we have long advocated for a measured response to terrorism, but here came an act of savagery on the meadows of Pahalgam, where victims were asked their religion and shot in the head in front of their loved ones. This ended all possibilities of diplomatic talks with Pakistan, which not only denied its involvement but also failed to acknowledge the growing cancer of terrorism on its turf.

 

When 9/11 happened in America, the US hunted down Osama Bin Laden from Abbottabad near Rawalpindi without informing Pakistan about its operation. Pakistan was taken by surprise but dared not hit back. Now that India's civilians were targeted and mercilessly shot for being Hindus, India has gone in pursuit of the terrorists hiding in Pakistan and taken them down as revenge. Pakistan dare not retaliate, else it will amount to nothing less than a war. Something Pakistan can ill afford economically as well as in matching Indian strike power.

 

The aftermath and potential repercussions

 

Though critics will inevitably emerge, wringing their hands over escalation risks, Pakistan will likely respond in a small manner in a face-saving bid. But only foolish leadership will suggest a full-blown war. Even in its response, Pakistan has to have a measured approach lest it spiral into “an act of war.”

 

A nation united in resolve

 

What cannot be questioned is the message sent out today: India's forbearance is not weakness, and those who mistake it as such do so at their peril. As citizens, we find ourselves united in pride for our armed forces' capability and precision. This is not jingoism but recognition of a painful necessity. For the widow who lost her husband to senseless violence, for the communities living under the shadow of terror, this operation offers, if not comfort, then perhaps vindication that their nation will not abandon them to fear.

 

The Modi government has calculated that the risks of action are outweighed by the risks of inaction. Time will tell whether this judgement proves prescient or premature. What remains clear is that India's patience with terrorism has its limits—and those limits have now been clearly defined.

 

Operation Sindoor: When symbolism meets strength

 

The name itself—"Sindoor"—carries a weight that resonates deeply within Indian society. For those unfamiliar, sindoor is the vermillion powder applied at the parting of a married Hindu woman's hair, a sacred symbol of matrimony and auspiciousness. When terrorists struck in Pahalgam, they specifically targeted men while sparing women, leaving behind widows who, in accordance with tradition, would remove this sindoor—their visual connection to married life. In naming this operation "Sindoor," India paid solemn tribute to these women who watched their husbands fall to terrorist bullets before their very eyes. It transformed a military strike into a cultural statement: what terrorism takes away, the nation will avenge.

 

One of the most striking aspects of this operation was not the strike itself but its aftermath. The decision to have Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh—one Muslim, one Hindu, both women—brief the world about this high-stakes military operation represents a narrative masterstroke that Pakistan's leadership appears incapable of comprehending, let alone countering.

 

Dismantling Pakistan's narrative

 

In a single press conference, India demolished multiple narratives that Pakistan has worked tirelessly to cultivate. First, by having Muslim Colonel Qureshi articulate the nation’s defence policy, India effortlessly countered Pakistan’s persistent attempts to frame the Kashmir conflict in religious terms. Her presence communicated what statistics already prove—that India’s Muslim population has thrived post-independence, with Muslims serving at the highest levels of military, government, and cultural institutions.

 

This stands in stark contrast to Pakistan, where religious minorities have dwindled dramatically since 1947, facing systematic discrimination and marginalisation.

 

Second, by placing two female officers at the forefront of military communications, India highlighted the progressive trajectory of its armed forces and society. These weren’t token appointments; these were accomplished military professionals whose gender was noteworthy only in the contrast it provided to Pakistan’s societal restrictions on women. While Pakistan’s women struggle against entrenched patriarchal structures that often limit their public roles, India’s women command fighter jets and infantry battalions. One need not overstate India’s gender equality—challenges certainly remain—but the contrast with Pakistan’s approach to women’s advancement is stark and unmistakable.

 

Failed attempts at communal division

 

Pakistan's General Asif Munir, in his recent statements, attempted to revive the dangerous two-nation theory that divides the subcontinent along religious lines, hoping to instigate communal tensions within India following the Pahalgam attack. That strategy failed spectacularly. No riots erupted across India; Kashmir's Muslim community did not rise in support of Pakistan. Instead, Indians across religious lines united in mourning the victims and supporting appropriate responses to terrorism. Operation Sindoor thus represents not merely a tactical success but a strategic vindication of India's foundational ideals.