According to Sun Tzu, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”.
This principle of war strategy has been reflected in the recent Indo-Pak escalations. Since the partition, India has always been an obstacle in Pakistan’s pursuit of progress and peace. From the 1948 Kashmir war to the military escalations of 2025, and from Operation Brasstacks to Operation Sindoor, India has always shown its aggressive and immature behavior. India’s resentment towards Pakistan and its hostile attitude are a reflection of its insecurities. Despite being superior in territory, population, and economy, its military and security agencies are no comparison with Pakistan’s. It is evident through a series of tactless and irrational attacks that India has proven its vulnerability in the face of Pakistan. History has witnessed how India has played the blame game by linking every attack on their soil to Pakistan. Despite getting humiliated at the regional and international levels, India has always tried to attack again.
In the wake of the current escalation, the world witnessed the strategic and rational side of Pakistan, while at the same time observed the immature and aggressive side of India. A series of rapid escalations unfolded after the Pehalgam attack on April 22, 2025. 26 people were murdered in the attack on Pehalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir. The irony of this incident was that even before investigating the case, even before the number of dead bodies had been identified, India had already decided on the perpetrator. Despite Pakistan’s denial of any involvement in the incident and its call for an independent investigation, India started blaming and threatening Pakistan.
By April 23, India suspended the Indus water treaty with Pakistan without informing the World Bank. Historically, India has always threatened Pakistan using the Indus Water Treaty as a tool. India’s decision to suspend the treaty due to Pakistan’s alleged involvement in Pehalgam and other cross-border attacks didn’t add up. Also, even before the Pehalgam attack, India had been calling for a renegotiation of the treaty, citing its increasing population and climate change as the reasons. Pakistan responded by considering legal options to tackle this problem. The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty was followed by a series of military escalations. On May 7, India launched an offensive against Pakistan, codenamed Operation Sindoor, striking its various cities with missiles. This attack resulted in infrastructure damage, injuries, and casualties in Pakistan. As a defensive response, Pakistan took down 5 of India’s best fighter planes in an intense air dog-fight. The conflict was still not over, as India sent various drones into Pakistan, the majority of which were intercepted and shot down by the Pakistan Army. Pakistan did not launch an immediate counteroffensive to avoid further escalation.
After 3 days of military offensive from India, Pakistan finally retaliated by launching an operation on 10th May, codenamed Operation Bunyan al Marsoos. It targeted India’s military and artillery storage facilities, penetrating deep into the country’s security system. The biggest victory of the Pakistan forces was the attack on the Indian S-400 air defense system. While India attacked cities, civilian sites, and even a mosque, Pakistan retaliated by attacking military facilities, proving what a just war is. After one day of retaliation by Pakistan, which handicapped the Indian security system, a ceasefire was proposed by the US, to which both India and Pakistan agreed.
The misadventure by the Modi administration unveiled many of the false claims made by the RSS-backed Indian government. First of all, India’s military is incapable of rational thinking when it comes to decision-making. Launching an offensive against a nuclear country was a massive risk taken by India, keeping in view the large population it hosts. India was ready to risk the lives of approximately 1.4 billion people for the display of power. Secondly, while India observes a policy of no first use in its nuclear doctrine, Pakistan follows the policy of pre-emptive strike, as a response to India’s cold start doctrine.
Additionally, the inaccuracy, deceptiveness, and misleading nature of Indian media were exposed when they exaggerated the attacks on Pakistan, spreading propaganda using false claims. This shows the hypocritical nature of Indian media and how misinformation and hatred are instilled into the minds of the Indian population. Last, but not least, the Pehalgam attack brought to light the false Indian claim of reduced violence and a better security situation in IIOJK as a result of the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. If India revoked the special status of Kashmir for peace, why are nearly 500,000 military soldiers permanently deployed in the IIOJK? Why is the Indian government unable to provide security to the people? There are acts of aggression by the Indian military nearly every day, and occurrences of incidents like the Pulwama attack and the Pehalgam raise serious questions on the security of issues of such regions.
Whether it’s cross LOC skirmishes or a major war, Kashmir always bears the brunt of the conflict. The human casualties on both sides of the border are condemnable, and so is the act of aggression. However, the recent military escalation has exposed the flawed strategic thinking of the Indian government and military. While it had been attacking for three days, one retaliatory attack by Pakistan was enough for India to retreat. This incident exposed the weak nature of India’s military while exposing flaws in its dream of becoming the regional hegemon.
The writer is a student of BS International Relations in the National Defense University, Islamabad and Interb at KIIR
