SHIFTING CODES OF CONDUCT IN SUBCONTINENT

Rejig of Pakistan's military command structure and India's show of political will to respond changed the neighbourly calculus in 2025. N-signalling cannot be allowed to define the rules of engagement

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A S 2025 draws to a close, IndiaPakistan relations are no longer shaped only by individual terror incidents or episodic military crises.

They are increasingly defined by deeper structural changes inside Pakistan, a clearer Indian response framework demonstrated through Operation Sindoor, and a regional environment in which major powers are recalibrating priorities without sentimentality.

The Delhi car blast earlier this year, which disrupted what intelligence assessments suggest could have evolved into a wider campaign, reinforced a question that is now widely asked in India: how will New Delhi respond the next time Pakistan-sponsored violence crosses an unacceptable threshold?

The answer lies not in announced doctrines or public red lines, but in understanding how Pakistan is signalling intent, how India has already responded once, and why Kashmir continues to sit at the centre of Pakistan's strategic thinking even when the geography of violence shifts.

Op Sindoor remains the most important reference point for assessing India's current approach. It was not projected as a doctrinal watershed, nor was it described as a template for all future action. Yet, it demonstrated several realities that now shape public and strategic expectations. India is prepared to employ conventional force below the nuclear threshold. Political authorisation can be obtained swiftly. Responses can be precise, controlled, and calibrated to impose costs without being drawn into open-ended conflict.