This is apropos a letter to the Editor carried by the newspaper yesterday. I would like add that India’s invocation of the Kashmir issue during back-channel negotiations signaled a significant shift. Having long resisted third-party involvement, India found itself using Kashmir as a bargaining lever to draw Pakistan into accepting US-mediated talks. The irony was not lost on observers: India had inadvertently internationalized the very issue it had always insisted was bilateral.
Public sentiment in India reflected growing disillusionment. Social media platforms were awash with criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Many accused the government of dragging the nation into a conflict it could neither win nor sustain. A widely circulated post read:
“You couldn’t protect Indians. You couldn’t avenge their deaths. More Indians died in the crossfire. Why are you still in office?”
Another stated:
“India was so shocked by Pakistan’s military response, it had to beg Trump for a ceasefire. Don’t provoke a war you can’t manage.”
The backlash highlighted a growing credibility gap between India’s military rhetoric and its battlefield realities. Analysts from leading global outlets offered similar assessments. The Guardian termed the war a “miscalculated gamble” that ended in embarrassment for India. France 24 questioned the performance of India’s Rafale fleet after reports confirmed the downing of three by Chinese-origin jets. Al Jazeera highlighted the precision of Pakistan’s counterstrikes, while the BBC noted how India’s attempt to project strength backfired, leading to diplomatic retreat and external mediation.
Technologically, the mismatch was stark. Pakistan’s use of Chinese J-10CE and JF-17 Thunder jets, armed with PL-15 long-range missiles, displayed integrated network warfare capabilities. India’s multi-sourced fleet—combining French, Russian, and Israeli platforms—suffered from lack of system-wide coordination. This disparity contributed to India’s failure to repel deep strikes and safeguard critical infrastructure, including forward airbases and missile systems in Adampur.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan
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