Op Sindoor mix: Surprise, optics & audacity

Everybody in Pakistan, and indeed in India, knew strikes were a matter of not 'whether' but 'when'. The Modi government utilised these 14 days after Pahalgam to build an impression that there was no hurry

- SHEKHAR GUPTA

Many analytical takeaways and lessons will emerge from Operation Sindoor in the course of time. Who knows, if there are more episodes left in this story, and what the next might be.

For now, let's follow our familiar three-example rule and examine some standout points from the operation.

The first, of course, is how one secures surprise when the other side has been in a most heightened state of alert for 14 days, fully mobilised, assets airborne, missiles locked and loaded.

The second—the optics, packaging and headline management for India's riskiest moment in a generation.

And third, the audacity it needed to take risks of this magnitude, to game the escalation ladder and tolerance/acceptance levels.

The most remarkable thing is the surprise. With Uri and Pulwama, the Modi government had set up a template. Everybody in Pakistan—and indeed in India—knew the strikes were not a matter of whether but when. There were many who said these retaliations must take place within 24 hours, if not immediately after the killings. Or the Overton Window keeps shrinking. Why wait out for a full 14 days then?