“There are two fundamental messages that have been delivered which should now be part of Pakistan’s thought process, action process,” says MJ Akbar, well-known journalist, author and commentator.
“No. 1, nothing is safe. But the most important message that awoke capitals across the world, in order to prevent the unthinkable from becoming reality, sometimes you have to make it thinkable. This is a quantum strategic leap beyond Balakot.”
“MJ” was a guest on The Gist, underscoring what Operation Sindoor had achieved: that no terrorist was safe in Pakistan any more. And India had called Pakistan’s bluff about the threat of the use of nuclear weapons.
He was also brutally realistic about what impact Operation Sindoor would have on Pakistan.
“We are going into it with eyes open that Pakistan may not change at all. No matter what happens. However, India will take precautions and measures to protect itself and its people.”
He made the other point: that India’s target is not a nation. Its target is terrorism. Pakistan suffers collateral damage for giving sanctuary to terrorists and helping promote acts of terrorism.
Pakistan suffers because of itself – its condition as a “genetically rogue state”. Witness the patent lie by Pakistan’s DG ISPR about India targeting the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Also Afghanistan!
But has the world bought India’s narrative? Is that the reason why India is sending seven all-party delegations to various capitals?
“Our job is to be factual,” MJ said, “Our job is to explain to people, as the PM said, that we are fighting a war against terror and Pakistan will suffer collateral damage … our target is those elements of a nation which provide support to terrorism.”
“Terrorism as an instrument of state policy in the modern era was introduced by Pakistan, and nobody seems to be very conscious of this. For 75 years, Pak has been doing this and hoping for different results. This point has to get through that India is not going to succumb to terrorists.”
MJ, who is part of the delegation to Europe, says the message to that continent is that terrorism does not have only a single geography (meaning Russia).
“The war in Ukraine is not very far from South Asia. How far is Ukraine from Chechnya? It’s basically Delhi-Haryana. How far is Chechnya from North Caucasus, South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Palestine, Israel-Palestine, Yemen’s Houthis, and how far is Aden (Yemen) from Gwadar? These are technically separate fires that are searching for a connection somewhere.”
“Europe cannot have forgotten the number of terrorist strikes it has been subjected to, London has been the victim how many times, Spain, Germany, France, continue to bleed … these forces (terrorists) are working in coordination in Africa and spreading.”
As the delegations embark, the key point India will make is how it is dealing with a nuclear-armed, imbalanced, impassioned and irrational country sitting on our doorstep.
