When Modi launched an attack on Pakistan by sending planes to target an alleged terrorist camp at Balakot in February 2019 in the backdrop of a false-flag operation at Pulwama he was probably under the self-perceived illusion that Pakistan would not be able to counter the Indian assault and that his government by establishing its ascendancy would comfortably reap political advantage in the shape of winning the ensuing elections.
However, that effort backfired as Pakistan gave a befitting response to the Indian indiscretion by downing its two planes and capturing one of its pilots besides inflicting heavy losses on Indian forces in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. The situation might have snowballed into a full-fledged war but the timely intervention by friendly countries and the restraint shown by Pakistan defused the situation.
India was left licking her wounds. Modi had regretted the fact that things could have been different if India had received timely finalization of the deal with France for purchase of its most sophisticated air birds Rafale. It was in the backdrop of the insult that India had to endure that the efforts for acquisition of Rafale planes were fast-paced and India finally clinched the deal for purchase of 36 Rafale Planes that were delivered between 2020 and 2022. Last month it signed another deal for the purchase of 26 more Rafale fighters for $7.4 billion which will be delivered by 2030. India also signed a $5.3 billion contract for five S-400 squadrons with Russia in October 2018 in spite of US threats of sanctions. Three squadrons have already been delivered while the other two will be delivered in 2026. It also acquired a sufficient quantity of Israeli Harop drones to strengthen its arsenal.
It was probably the acquisition of the foregoing war equipment that gave Modi encouragement to not only settle scores with Pakistan for the defeat in 2019 but also to derive maximum political advantage on the eve of the impending elections in Bihar. The Indian government orchestrated another false-flag operation at Pahalgam to find an excuse to commit aggression against Pakistan. However contrary to her expectation the aggression against Pakistan has again re-loaded an insult on India as not only five of its attacking planes, including three Rafales, were downed but a brigade headquarters in Indian-held Kashmir was also destroyed by Pakistan while taking defensive action.
Pakistan did not respond to this aggression immediately and exercised utmost restraint with a view not to escalate the situation. However it made an unswerving commitment to giving a befitting answer to India if it did not relent. Meanwhile it also sought help from friends and other countries to defuse the situation. Some countries did make efforts at the diplomatic level to ensure de-escalation.
But India did not pay any heed to these efforts and started attacking Pakistan with Israeli-made Harop drones which were also effectively neutralized and they caused very little damage wherever they landed. That hit the limits of Pakistani patience and it launched retaliatory attacks on a number of Indian targets with missiles and drones inflicting extensive damage on defence installations and airbases.
Pakistan armed forces, the government and the people have shown unmatched resilience, courage and capability in making the enemy eat dirt. They stood united and determined to safeguard their security and territorial integrity in a manner that has added another glorious chapter to their history of wading through adversities and challenges with their heads held high.
India which was adamant in not giving a positive response to calls for de-escalation having realized the folly of underestimating Pakistani military prowess then showed her willingness for a ceasefire as a result of diplomatic efforts by USA, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Pakistan also agreed and finally President Trump announced the agreement regarding cessation of hostilities between the two countries. The fact of the matter is that it was India which sought US mediation after powerful response from Pakistan.
In this regard a corroborative assertion was made by a CNN journalist who revealed that Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes in response to Indian aggression pushed India into an urgent retreat. Speaking on CNN he said “When India attacked three Pakistani airbases, Pakistan responded with a relentless, massive barrage of missiles and rockets… into Indian military facilities, airbases, and weapons storage sites. That really put India on the back foot. They did not know what had happened. Pakistan unleashed its full military capability prompting New Delhi to seek immediate mediation through US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudi Arabia and Turkish officials.”
Reportedly another factor that also contributed to agreement between the two countries for a ceasefire was alarming intelligence which pushed US VP J.D Vance to press Modi for a ceasefire. According to a CNN report, Trump Administration officials revealed to the channel that a core group of top US officials— including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles— had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the USA received an alarming intelligence. Vance briefed President Trump on the plan and then spoke with Modi making it clear to him that White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation. He urged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly to consider options available for de-escalation.
Though the nature of the intelligence was not revealed but from the urgency shown by the USA it can be safely inferred that there was probably the danger of some imminent cataclysmic development.
Pakistan has always sought good relations with India but unfortunately all efforts for normalization have been thwarted or spurned by the Indian side, more so since Modi has become the Indian Prime Minister. He has not only kept the LoC hot but has also twice committed aggression against Pakistan, creating an alarming security situation, not realizing the dangers inherent in a military clash between the two nuclear states. However these two ill-conceived adventures by Modi have made it abundantly clear that India is not in a position to browbeat Pakistan militarily. This would hopefully deter him from trying a similar strategy in the future.
Pakistan armed forces, the government and the people have shown unmatched resilience, courage and capability in making the enemy eat dirt. They stood united and determined to safeguard their security and territorial integrity in a manner that has added another glorious chapter to their history of wading through adversities and challenges with their heads held high.
