By Sanjay Jha
The entire country and the whole Opposition backed the NDA government led by the BJP on whatever options it exercised following the brutal massacre of 26 people in #Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists on April 22, 2025. I have rarely seen such unanimous backing, cutting across partisan party lines and political preferences. #OperationSindoor commenced in the wee hours of May 7 2025, but within three days a formal #ceasefire was abruptly announced wef 1700 pm IST between India and Pakistan on May 10, 2025.
As an ordinary citizen of my country, based on my conversations with many well-meaning and concerned people, I feel it is my responsibility to raise these questions. I am keeping it extremely succinct.
1) Why did US President Donald #Trump (ironically, someone who wants to capture #Canada and annex #Greenland) have to make the announcement of a cease-fire from our side on X ( Twitter) ? Has India surrendered its avowed commitment to the #ShimlaAgreement of 1972 that talked of a strict adherence to a bilateral dialogue and settlement? Are we kosher with such third-party intervention (this is beyond the backchannel route employed in the past)? Is an opportunistic, unreliable and expansionist US being accepted by us as a future mediator? Trump’s subsequent tweet, “a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir” is absurd and an egregious interference in our internal affairs. We must strongly repudiate this.
2) Trump’s tweet of May 10th 2025 has a disturbing phrase: “ Start talk on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”. What does this even mean? What are the issues? Which place are we talking about? Shouldn’t the people of India know what exactly are the specifics?
3) I quote General V.P. Malik, former Chief of Army Staff, who led us to victory in the Kargil War.
“Ceasefire 10 May 2025: We have left India’s future history to ask what politic-strategic advantages , if any, were gained after its kinetic and non-kinetic actions post Pakistani horrific terror strike in Pahalgam on 22 April”.
What were our tangible successes during the brief three-day military offensive? Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have multiple terror camps spread all over Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Beyond the rhetoric, the terror infrastructure is intact, compact and will continue to remain India’s most dangerous threat. Pakistan will continue to take umbrage under plausible deniability on the actions of its non-state actors.
4) Pakistan has successfully internationalized the Kashmir issue all over again. It seems to be no longer the international pariah as was being projected; it has got the IMF loan, it is out of FATF, and USA is happy to negotiate settlement terms with it, giving it full legitimacy. Have we lost the diplomatic muscle we once had? Have we succumbed to both terror and a diplomatic checkmate?
5) The sight of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi sitting side by side and addressing the global media following #OperationSindoor was a great manifestation of India’s plurality. So, shall we assume finally that the BJP will hereafter abandon the policy of communal polarization and Hindutva supremacy within the country, and immediately call for an end to hate speeches, threats and violence against Indian Muslims and Kashmiris? If not, was it just a PR stunt?
6) Are we willing to concede that “normalcy” ( in Jammu and Kashmir) cannot be established by using convenient markers but through a continuous process of engagement with people? Can we skip the braggadocio hereafter? Can we accept that the post- Art 370 abrogation environment is a work-in-progress in its implementation?
7) Has any future cross-border conflict with Pakistan become willy-nilly an unofficial two-front war, with China augmenting Pakistan’s defense capabilities? How does that change the risk assessment for us?
😎 Will the government realize that winning an information war does not mean giving a license to TV channels to indulge in the most disgusting horror show, a tragicomedy of sorts, that was dangerous for our national security and only did cheap propaganda for the government?
9) Was it not vulgar, unethical and crude of the BJP to run an advertisement campaign while Pahalgam terrorists are still roaming free and the military operations were on?
10) Should we recognize that the best deterrence ( beyond the nuclear) is: strengthen internal security and improve local intelligence? Shall we start by first acknowledging that we failed in protecting innocent human beings in Pahalgam?
The Indian Armed Forces, as always, have been outstanding.
Jai Hind!
As expected, the most immoral, incompetent and vulgar party in the world, the BJP, is already manipulating the people of India for votes on the blood of #Pahalgam terror attack victims and Operation Sindoor.
Watch the advertisement! It’s a shame.
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