Pakistan’s Violent Mindset, Terror, Nuclear Threat, and Operation Sindoor
There is an old adage: If You Want Peace, Prepare for War. In the case of Pakistan, ever since it was created out of India in 1947 on the basis of religion, a section of its people, those in the military particularly, seem to believe: We Want War, Prepare With Terror.
It’s crazy. I have often wondered Why? I personally have had great Pakistani friends in Dubai and London, and, we were Simply Friends, sharing laughter, food, jokes, work, without any barriers of being Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains or Muslims from India with Muslims from Pakistan. Our families and children celebrated Eid and Diwali together. Aren’t we basically the same!
Of course, Pakistan’s supreme leader, Gen Asim Munir, who promoted himself to the rank of Field Marshal after his army-sponsored terrorists brutally murdered 24 Hindus, one Muslim and one Christian on Apr 22 at Pahalgam in Kashmir, declared: Muslims cannot live with Hindus.
Honestly, I am still not willing to believe that this kind of thinking exists in the 21st century. Unfortunately, it does; in many a sick mind.
What is the choice? None. But to face hatred, react, fight, and respond. And Respond Effectively.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, sensibly limiting the strikes to terror camps. There’s been a Hotline between the two armed forces, manned by the Directors General of Indian Army and Pakistan Army. The idea is to prevent any bad situation due to misunderstandings between two nuclear neighbours. Indian DGMO, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai called his counterpart, Maj Gen Kashif Abdullah, to inform that India was not attacking Pak military installations, but only the terrorist camps. Maj Gen Abdullah replied “but we would,” and began the fireworks. Pakistani forces attacked wherever they could and Indian forces, particularly the Indian Air Force, hit Pakistani military bases, some believed to have underground nuclear weapons deep under hardened cement and steel structures. French Scalp and Hammer missiles were effectively used. But it was the India-made Brahmos that crippled the Pakistani will, and according to Pakistani defence minister, they came at supersonic speed one after another, destroying their airbases, underground hangars, runways and apparently some or many combat jets or other Pakistan Air Force assets beneath.
I am not getting into numbers but the fact is that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen Munir requested the US to intervene for a ceasefire; India’s response was that the two countries had an agreement to resolve all differences bilaterally, and New Delhi would follow that established process.
Sure enough, Pak DGMO then called Lt Gen Ghai requesting a ceasefire. India accepted Maj Gen Abdullah’s request, and the time agreed was from 1700h IST, 10th May, 1½ hours after his call.
India’s S 400 and Akash missile systems played havoc with PAF jets and drones.
For the first time, it was an Electronic War, intense, with precision weapons, drones, as well as long range missiles, with the Brahmos, fired from different platforms. creating history, hitting targets at 3 times the speed of sound with 300kg bombs.
Pakistan has lost every war it started, five of them actually since 1947, and surrendered the historically largest number of 93,000 officers and troops in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War to the Indian Army.
My editorial here is not about India’s victories but about Pakistan’s persistent terror and other military ventures. And just to ask: Where is the need to needle!
— Gulshan Rai Luthra
