Operation Sindoor was India exercising its right to retaliate

India’s post-midnight airstrikes on selected targets in Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir raised the question of whether war is the answer to the attack at Pahalgam.

The question that superseded this was whether India should continually remain under the shadow and specter of terrorism.

As a pacifist, war does not seem to be the immediate answer, and diplomacy and dialogue would be the first choice. But, as a realist, one had to ponder as to what is the response to those who only understand the language of war? Will they accept diplomacy or will they view it as a sign of weakness?

Past experience has demonstrated that diplomacy has not worked while dealing with terrorism. India has shown considerable amount of restraint for long years, but the attacks against civilians have not stopped.

The Pahalgam attack, where 26 persons were killed, shocked the . How could anybody mercilessly gun down innocent people?

Pahalgam was the latest in many terror attacks in India. Should India, therefore, live with the uncertainty of when and where the militants will strike again? Obviously not, for they will strike again and again, as has been seen. So, if force puts an end to terrorism, then we have to accept this as the inevitable measure.

Should India, therefore, live with the uncertainty of when and where the militants will strike again? Obviously not, for they will strike again and again, as has been seen.

But, as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “India exercised its right to hit back.” This is a very important statement and has to be tied with the Defence Ministry statement that said, “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”

India, therefore, is not the aggressor over here, it reacted to aggression and did so with precision. The community has to accept this, and diplomatic channels should be able to convince all nations that India is not looking to escalate.

The Indian strikes were in response to the terror attack at Pahalgam. India, in retaliation, struck nine terror bases, including, as has been reported, the of Islamist militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

To repeat, India did not target civilians, but targeted terror camps. That is the difference between an act of terror and an act of precision retaliation.

We do not know in what manner Pakistan will retaliate. The situation could escalate, though India has been absolutely clear that Operation Sindoor was non-escalatory and only targeted terror camps.

We do not know in what manner Pakistan will retaliate. The situation could escalate, though India has been absolutely clear that Operation Sindoor was non-escalatory and only targeted terror camps.

However, India remains on alert, as it should. There were civilian defence mock drills in various parts of the country, including Goa, to check for preparedness and also to train civilians in rescue measures.

The next few days and weeks are going to be crucial, and across the country, it is citizens who will have to remain on alert. The mock drills have gone well, but we cannot let down our guard.

But, what about after the strikes? The entire operation that lasted just 25 minutes was meticulously planned. It was quick and effective, and it demonstrated that India was capable of acting. But, is there a long-term solution to terrorism?

Operation Sindoor, like other targeted initiatives, will have weakened the terror operations, but it will have in no way ended them. It has sent across the message that India will not accept terror activities without responding.

So, this may bring about a lull in terror activities, but will there be peace? That shadow of terrorism still remains.

India has to address the root of the matter. In this case, Pak-occupied Kashmir, and where India is concerned, there is only position — that PoK is an integral part of India. There cannot be any other stance.

Other than that, India definitely requires strategy to combat terrorism effectively and has to invest further in its gathering and counter-terrorism initiatives. Fighting terrorism is a long battle and this is just the start of one.