After Sindoor, the writing is on the wall for Pakistan

The Pahalgam massacre of innocent tourists from India and Nepal on April 22 and its aftermath have redefined India-Pakistan relations.

- Sujan Chinoy

The Pahalgam massacre of innocent tourists from India and Nepal on April 22 and its aftermath have redefined India-Pakistan relations. While attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists have been of frequent occurrence, it is only in the past decade that the Union government has truly endeavoured to draw red lines.

Pakistan had committed in a joint statement in January 2004 to "not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism in any manner". The country has consistently reneged on this and the bilateralism envisaged under the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

The egregious attack by Pakistani terrorists at multiple locations in Mumbai in November 2008, which led to scores of deaths including those of foreigners, had marked a new low in cross-border terrorism even by Pakistan's dismal track record.

One would have expected India to undertake military retribution. However, the government of the day decided to stay its hand. An emboldened Pakistan, outgunned conventionally, continued to use terrorism as part of its grey zone tactics against India, just below the threshold of military conflict. That threshold has changed following Operation Sindoor.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has repeatedly demonstrated firm resolve in dealing with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. India's zero tolerance for terrorism translated into military retaliation against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, with cross-border land and air strikes in 2016 and 2019, respectively. Operation Sindoor is a notch higher on the spectrum of dissuasion.