CARPE DIEM: A TIME FOR POST-OP MEDS?

Lessons from 1971 tell us that India's strategic interests may not be identical to those of politicians. It's not a time for war cries, but for cold calculations

- MAKARAND R PARANJAPE

HERE is a famous and oft-cited quotation from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar that might be relevant to our times: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." India, by picking up the gauntlet, has done exactly that. It has significantly raised the price of terrorism for Pakistan, thus raising the level of our deterrence. Even more significantly, India may, without boasting, have fundamentally altered the balance of power in the region.

Not being a warmonger, I certainly welcome the so-called ceasefire. Whether brokered by the 'big brother'—US President Donald J Trump—or not is less important. Neither Pakistan nor India can afford a long-drawn war. The cost, to India alone, is reportedly over $80 billion for just four days of what was not even a full-blown war. But we have proved that we are a fighting force that simply cannot be ignored or overlooked. We have shown the world that we can be an important part of the new world order, capable of putting boots on the ground if needed. Not just boots on the ground, but missiles, drones, and much else in the air, beside conventional air, navy, and ground forces.

Which brings us to the crucial question—what next? I am sure that the Indian Prime Minister's Office and strategic teams must have already war-gamed the post Operation Sindoor options. I am tempted, almost, to say 'post Pakistan' instead of 'post Operation Sindoor'. Pakistan, on the verge of bankruptcy, would arguably have been on the brink of collapse had we pushed on for a few more days.