India’s swift military reaction to the Pahalgam massacre signals a hardened stance: terrorism will be met with force, Islamabad will be held to account for further mischief, and the no-first-use nuclear policy is now history. by Gopal Misra
Notwithstanding Turkey’s endorsement of the continuation of Pakistan’s policy of using its terror outfits against its neighbours — from Afghanistan to India — which recently restarted with the Pahalgam massacre of 22 April, Pakistan is now facing its existential crisis. It cannot be denied that if the Pak Army with its nuclear teeth continues to refuse the voices of sanity within its military and civilian leaderships, the entire region may be facing extreme misfortune. India, however, cannot be blackmailed.
Immediately after the unannounced visit of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmad Al-Jubeir to New Delhi, and perhaps on the basis of Adel’s observation, Washington realized that the Pahalgam massacre has pushed India towards hard options, which might trigger unprecedented catastrophe in the region.
Later, US President Donald Trump stated Washington promptly mediated between the estranged neighbours and the peace was mediated. Without naming the sources, it is stated that White House had received alarming intelligence. Trump did not share the details. The intelligence reports had indicated that the ongoing conflict could have caused a nuclear holocaust.
It could not be ascertained immediately whether India would continue “Operation Sindoor” or the military operation may remain suspended till the negotiations are finally concluded. India has not committed herself to peace despite Trump’s mediation, but Pakistan has heaved a sigh of relief.
The US bid for peace in the region must have frustrated the irrepressible and over-ambitious ruler of Turkey, Erdogan, who had issued a statement that his country fully supports Pakistan’s war against India. However it has surprised few among the strategic affairs scholars in New Delhi, who think that both are keen to control their people through a massive dose of faith in their people.
They were almost in unison that Erdogan’s announcement of support to Pakistan has actually meant to enable General Asim Munir, the chief of the army and the ‘de-facto’ ruler of Pakistan, to retain his strong control on the current coalition government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The Sharif government is considered a ‘proxy regime’ of the GHQ for extending the current term of three years to five years, and it would not affect his tenure by the superannuation age of 64 years. It means, Asim Munir would continue to hold his position till 2027.
In fact, while the erstwhile Pakistan Army chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa was keen to keep Asim Munir away from the key positions within the army establishment, the latter was benefited by the differences between the then PM Imran Khan and Bajwa. Khan was keen to get his confidante, Faize Hamid, who was then chief of the secret agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), elevated to the position of army chief. However, an element of trust-deficit also caused differences between Bajwa and Faize Hamid. Much against the wishes of Imran Khan, Faize Hamid was transferred as a commander in Quetta and Asim Munir took over as the ISI chief. During his tenure in the ISI, Asim Munir proved his credentials by masterminding the terrorist attack on a bus carrying more than 40 paramilitary personnel on 19 February 2019. Most of them succumbed to the blast. Munir’s career faced an eclipse for a while, when he was transferred to the GHQ without any significant assignment. It is stated it happened because he had exposed the corruption of Bushra Bibi, wife of the then PM Khan. However, with the removal of Khan, a new coalition came to power under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif.
During the past five years, Shahbaz Sharif conceded maximum space to the army in the civilian administration. The GHQ responded to his loyalty by getting his elder brother and three times prime minister Nawaz Sharif exonerated by complex judicial processes and court hearings. During this period, GHQ and Shahbaz ensured that Imran Khan is convicted and awarded long-term prison terms by the country’s kangaroo courts by implicating him in false cases. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, was denied poll symbols and in spite of getting a majority, was not allowed to return to power.
During the past three years, Asim Munir, frequently traveled to Washington and Beijing, winning their confidence. With the tacit support of the erstwhile Biden Administration, he quietly helped his counterpart in Bangladesh, General Waker-uz-Zaman, to oust the elected government of Sheikh Hasina. She was punished for having friendly ties with India; and now like in Islamabad, Dacca too has a hybrid government led by Muhammed Yunus, an economist. Interestingly, Yunus was promptly recognized by the US-led West and Beijing, and despite declaring themselves as the champions for democracy, none among the democratic leaders have cared to demand for fresh elections in Bangladesh.
Leaning on China, US ties
During his visits to the US, Asim Munir, has been keen to get his endorsement from the White House as well as from the deep state i.e. CIA. It is believed that his proposal to further radicalize the army was endorsed by a strong section of the deep state; further endorsed by the Biden Administration. It is also being assessed by various scholars that whether the Pahalgam incident is an attempt to ensure the continuity of the American support to the Pakistani army. However, the neutrality of the Trump Administration in the India-Pakistan conflict must have caused frustration to Asim Munir.
His confrontational approach towards the Baloch issue is also an attempt to win the confidence of Beijing. The rebellion in Balochistan is actually rooted in the exploitation of the province’s natural resources. Apart from the official agreements with the Chinese companies, the army officers are also known for allowing Chinese companies to illegally exploit the earth’s resources for mutual benefits.
Erdogan’s affinity for Pakistan
Erdogan’s support to Pakistan is quite amusing that Turkey which is being identified even today as the sick man of Europe has offered diplomatic support to Islamabad in its current conflict with India. It is believed he has offered ammunition and even a large number of drones. Interestingly, Asim is more respected for cramming Holy Koran than being a soldier, and a section Muslim clergy, especially the supporters, of the restoration of the medieval Caliphate system in the Muslim world, believe that Erdogan would finally succeed in burying the 100-year old democracy in Turkey; thus ushering in the system of governance under Islamic laws, popularly called , Nizam-e-Mustafa.
The Indian reaction to the Pakistani conspiracy has given a strong message that India will continue her zero tolerance towards terrorism and would not hesitate to punish Islamabad, and she has abandoned her no-first use nuclear policy. The US is aware of it.
Box
Rafale ‘downing’ jolts West’s arms supremacy claims
The alleged shooting down of India’s Rafale fighter plane in the ongoing conflict with Pakistan has sent shock waves across the continents to the trillion-dollar weapons systems being marketed by the West. It is also a wake up call for the Indian Air Force. There are reports that 82 per cent of Pakistan’s defense supplies are now being obtained from China; on the other hand, the supplies from Russia and France are much slower than the Chinese weapons to Pakistan. There were reports that after this incident, the stock of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers of the Rafale fighter jet, have dipped by 30 per cent, but it is being countered by the statistics that there were some fluctuations, but the company shares have actually rallied significantly, indicate year-to -year gain over 66 per cent in 2025.
It is stated that “It was 4 a.m. Wednesday, the Chinese ambassador in Islamabad was greeted at the foreign office in Islamabad to celebrate the success of his country’s fighter jet, J-10C and its missile system”. It is being stated that the Chinese software helped the Pakistani pilots to shoot down two Rafale fighters in an air to air missile combat. The Indian sources are awaiting detailed reports before confirming the news. Meanwhile, the French intelligence have reportedly confirmed the news to CNN.
The former editor of the government-owned Chinese newspaper, Global Times, Hu Jixin has claimed that with this success the Chinese defense capabilities and technologies have excelled the French and Russian systems.
