Time to back down

Operation Sindoor is effective branding. It pays homage to the lives and the grieving wives of the 26 blameless civilian men we lost, thus reminding the world, every time the operation is mentioned, that our action was purely retributive, and it also puns neatly on Sindhu, our shared river and our shared heritage, and the treaty we have currently put in abeyance.

- ANUJA CHAUHAN

The government's press release is careful to stress that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted—only identified terrorist infrastructure, and that, too, in a “focused” manner. World leaders have reacted with concern, but have not condemned India’s actions outright. The general sentiment seems to be that Pakistan had it coming. And now that noses have been bloodied on both sides, it would be advisable to back down. Time to de-escalate and exercise restraint.

To me, this criticism seem a little perfunctory. The US president, in particular, has all but shrugged it off, saying: “India and Pakistan have been at war for centuries, if you think about it.” (What even?).