After Operation Sindoor, India must lead with strength — and restraint

Guwahati, May 8: As many as 26 persons were killed, making several women widows in a ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 by Pakistan-based terrorists, raising a strong opinion against the neighbouring country all across India, and there was a cry for revenge. But the Government of India did not take any hasty and impulsive action. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of meetings with his ministerial colleagues and senior officers, including the heads of security agencies, the Army, Navy and Air Force, to chalk out a strategy to hit out against the terrorists.

The terrorist camps and launch pads across the border, not only in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) but also deep inside Pakistan, were identified. As India was preparing for a decisive strike, Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement almost every day with firing from across the border, and unfortunately, instead of targeting the Indian Army, Pakistani armed personnel targeted civilian areas. But, finally, on the night of May 6, at around 1.45 am, India struck back hard by launching 'Operation Sindoor'. India launched missiles at terrorist camps in Pakistan and destroyed nine of them with a barrage of 24 missiles.

According to reports available, at least 70 persons living in the terrorist camps died in the attack, and more than 60 were injured. The headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masoor Azhar, who was the mastermind of the Indian Parliament attack, was also ravaged. The terrorist leader was not present in the camp at that moment, but at least 10 of his family members were reportedly killed.

The Prime Minister himself monitored the attacks at night and briefed the Cabinet in the morning, describing the strikes as a "moment of pride". Unfortunately, in retaliation, Pakistan opened fire on civilian targets from across the LoC and killed several civilians.

The strike has taught a hard lesson to the terrorist groups who use Pakistan as a safe haven and also receive training and other support from Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). They will definitely think twice before targeting India again in the near future.

But the operation against terrorists should not lead to a full-scale war between India and Pakistan, as such a war will seriously affect the economies of both countries.

India recently became the fourth-largest economy in the world, and if it has to fight a full-scale war, the economy will be badly hit. In the case of Pakistan, the situation is even worse. Pakistan's economy is in shambles, and the country is approaching different countries with a begging bowl. If the country has to fight a war, Pakistani citizens will have to face starvation.

The United Nations and the world's powerhouses should now step in to prevent a full-scale war. The situation is more alarming as both the countries have nuclear weapons. India will definitely not be the first one to use nuclear weapons. But the same cannot be said of Pakistan, as no one really knows who is actually running the country – the political leadership or the army. After proving its point, India should not escalate the situation and retaliate only if Pakistan attacks.