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May 08, 2025
Ramaharitha Pusarla

Operation Sindoor: A Testament to India’s New Strategic Resolve

After the barbaric Pahalgam attack, terrorists told a shell-shocked wife, “Go, tell Modi. This is why we spared you!!”. A fortnight later, India delivered a befitting reply. In one of its boldest strikes in 50 years, India conducted airstrikes on Pakistan under “Operation Sindoor”, a name given by PM Modi. Religious profiling of a heinous kind shook the collective psyche of the nation. The headshots on civilians from close range in front of their wives and children, a chilling provocation, reignited the transgenerational trauma of Hindu Indians. At a time when Bharat is taking baby steps towards reclaiming and reasserting its civilisational identity with the political dispensation at the helm subtly favouring it, this barbaric massacre stoked fears of a looming threat from an intolerant ideology. Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism is the defining civilisational identity of Bharat. With an assault on its identity, the perpetrators deliberately chose to breach a ‘Red Line’ that stoked fears and attempted to exploit communal dissensions. Brewing outrage warranted strong government action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. Refusing to ‘forgive and forget,’ the government immediately unveiled a panoply of retaliatory measures—diplomatic, economic and strategic. This also included the deferment of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), a treaty that withstood the 1965, 1971 and 1991 wars. Upping the diplomatic and strategic fronts, India built up pressure. Refraining from jingoism and name-calling, PM Modi delivered a pointed message saying, “India will identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished”. Vowing to deliver justice, India launched airstrikes on nine places in a span of 25 minutes. The 21 missile strikes have reduced the terrorist safe havens to rubble. The targets include the headquarters and recruitment centres of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, eliminating close to 100 terrorists. Upping the game and keeping the expectant Pakistan guessing, India has steadily escalated the wargames and blown up its terror ecosystem operating from within the precincts of Indian territory. At a place and time of its choosing, India struck the terrorist sites. Aptly named as “Operation Sindoor” to avenge the irreparable loss suffered by the Hindu women. The Sindoor, which the perpetrators ridiculed, became their nemesis. The Modi government has set a precedent of retaliatory action with surgical strikes post the Uri attack and the Balakot airstrikes. The retaliatory kinetic action to avenge the attacks on military personnel in both cases was restricted to a single location. Expanding the ambit, India struck four locations in POJK and five in Pakistan, including the Punjab province, the unimpeachable fortress of the Pakistani military ecosystem. India is now steadily escalating the costs for Pakistan. Effectively running down the nuclear threat card played by Islamabad, India, is broadening the scope for conventional warfare. Playing to its strengths, India has extracted its pound of flesh by hitting the terrorist camps. With precision strikes on the terror camps, India has narrowed the scope of escalatory strikes from Pakistan. Attacks on military bases and civilian infrastructure would take the conflict to the next level. With this, India has shifted the onus of escalation to Pakistan. Joined at the hip, the Pakistani military and terror ecosystem are integrally intertwined. Dozens of Indian dossiers submitted to the UNSC have inexorably established these links. Pakistan strategically deployed these ‘non-state actors ’ against India and Afghanistan to export terrorism. Cultivated, nurtured and financed by Pakistan, these terrorist outfits have been ‘expendables’, often thrown under the bus to present a victimhood image before the Western world. By pounding these terrorist dens, India has exposed the double game of Pakistan. For decades, big powers and Muslim countries stonewalled Indian efforts to expose the state-sponsored terrorism of Pakistan and the concomitant economic sanctions imposed on rogue nations. Countries safeguarded Pakistan, a useful vassal state, from international scrutiny. China watered down every attempt of New Delhi to proscribe Pakistani terrorists as global terrorists. Making a grand detour from this vainglorious effort to unveil the Pakistan fount of terrorism through dysfunctional multilateral forums, India began taking Rawalpindi to task with quick retaliatory strikes. Along with imposing definite costs for terrorist attacks, India is holding Pakistan accountable for the conflicts, producing incontrovertible evidence. The press meeting held by the Indian Army post Operation Sindoor has eloquently presented the Indian side of the story. Backing the evidence with facts, devoid of rhetoric, through plain speak and undeniable horror wreaked on India, New Delhi has exposed Pindi’s Ghazwa-e-Hind. From the beginning, India's leadership vowed to serve justice to the bereaved families in the Pahalgam incident. Delivering on its promise, India extracted retribution and reaffirmed that ‘every single life matters’. The airstrikes underscored India’s military edge over Pakistan and pushed Islamabad on the defensive. The visuals of terror dens reduced to rubble have put the prestige and bravado of the Pakistani army at stake. Inaction would further damage the eroding Pakistani Army’s image. The element of surprise in Indian strikes has heightened unpredictability and an incalculable threat of incursion. By wielding a variety of non-military retaliatory measures, India is suffusing Pakistani policy with an element of ‘vulnerability’. These retaliatory strikes are a ‘calculated and measured response’, and are not by means a permanent deterrence. Pakistan would retaliate. It is evident from the Indian announcement of airstrikes as the first phase of Operation Sindoor. Rooted in the two-nation theory, which is irreconcilably anti-India, peaceful co-existence with Pakistan is a distant nightmare. To put down its avowed enemy, New Delhi has to evolve a long-term deterrent policy that can impose heavy costs on Pakistan to curtail the cross-border terrorism. Pakistan is banking on its strategic geographic location and non-state actors to the hilt to earn the favour of the World powers. Above all, Islamabad also wields the Islamic card to garner the support of the OIC nations. Given the cumulative advantages Pakistan continues to enjoy, no single measure can effectively deter Pakistan for a long time. To impose heavy costs for its terrorist activities and anti-India agenda, New Delhi must charter a multi-pronged approach to throttle Pakistan’s economy and deplete its strategic manoeuvrability. Exploiting India’s ethno-religious faultlines and co-opting public intellectuals, Pakistan often attempts to destabilise India. New Delhi should contemplate paying back Islamabad in the same coin. India’s extreme restraint, measured response and choice of strikes markedly stood out amid Pakistan’s bombastic nuclear threat. Indian leadership displayed rare courage and unique statesmanship in the run-up to Operation Sindoor. Giving a free hand to the Indian Military, adopting a whole government approach in launching comprehensive strikes, India has shed diffidence. This strategic assertiveness is an indirect message to China. Claiming to be a victim of terrorism, Pakistan Army officials participated in the funeral of Lashkar terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor joined by US-designated terrorist Abdul Rauf. Double-speak thy name and terrorism thy game, it is high time, the world recognises Pakistan for what it is- A Mothership of Terrorism.

May 03, 2025
Ankita Dutta

Manipur in Mourning: A Story of Pain and Hope

“Why did it happen to us? Out of nowhere, how could things go so bad, so fast?” – lamented many a traumatised victim with whom we had the chance to interact. They had lost everything they owned in the violence that engulfed Manipur on this day exactly two years back. The multi-layered crisis was certainly not triggered suddenly or spontaneously. It sparked numerous viewpoints documented in the form of articles, books, and pamphlets. Several, including Nandita Haksar’s Shooting the Sun, have identified the Meiteis’ demand for ST status as the immediate trigger. A distinct view, prevalent in writings by CHIKUMI (Chin, Kuki, and Mizo) and non-Manipuri writers, focuses on the perceived “discrimination” against Kuki-Zo communities by the “Meitei-led Government”. This alleged neglect manifests in development gaps, autonomy denial, and political exclusion, further fuelled by anxieties about demographic changes. They blame the Central Government and the “Anti-Kuki” State Government for complicity and inaction, criticising the media for simplifying the conflict’s deeper roots. While some suggest “Separate Administration” for the Kuki-Zo people, others have emphasised broader solutions like redressal of historical injustice, development projects in the Kuki-Zo areas, and fair representation. Inclusive politics and socio-cultural diversity are deemed crucial for reconciliation. Most importantly, addressing issues such as poppy cultivation, land encroachments, and illegal settlements, etc., is extremely important for ensuring lasting peace in the state. The Manipur crisis of May 3, 2023, is an extremely painful event that found its parallel in Chahi Taret Khuntakpa when the Burmese had attacked Manipur by killing its people, and burnt their houses and temples to drive them out of their own homeland. During the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891, the British did not attack the people of Manipur, nor did they burn their houses. But, as the ancestors of today’s Manipuris had experienced during Chahi Taret Khuntakpa, illegal immigrants from Myanmar had attacked them this time with sophisticated weapons. The immigrants attacked them and burned down their houses without any provocation. The economy was the most affected, with thousands of homes and properties destroyed beyond recovery and several thousand people still subject to abject poverty. The crisis gave an opportunity to the people of Manipur and across the world to realise that we are living in a dangerous environment amidst not one, but many civilisational enemies. Because of their long and glorious history as manifested in the Puyas, the Manipuris perhaps thought that they were and are still a great, indefeatable people! But, they were very much mistaken. Illegal immigrants and their powerful militant groups taught them a hard lesson, waking them up from their deep slumber. At the behest of the World Meitei Council (WMC), the crisis also brought together our Manipuri brothers and sisters from all over the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, the Middle East, and the United States to face the challenges that threaten their very existence in the sacred land of their own forefathers. These are people from diverse professional backgrounds who have undertaken the initiative to lead Manipur from the front at this time of crisis. They have worked hard with a sense of responsibility and dedication so as to enable the common Manipuri people to present their side of the story at international forums, including the UN. They are the real heroes working silently to save their homeland. However, simplified interpretations that are to be found in many writings on the Manipur violence have tried to reduce the conflict to issues like ST inclusion for the Meiteis, perceived discrimination of the tribals, and development gaps, overlooking other crucial factors. Regrettably, the world was inundated with a false narrative perpetuated through various platforms soon after the violence began. The fact that the violence was engineered by a certain section of the people to fulfil their dream of the establishment of a “Separate Homeland” can no longer be overlooked. For a group of people who were migratory by nature, they never owned any “Ancestral Land” in Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura. History is witness to their trajectory of migrations and violence in the entire Northeast. They were forced to settle in an administrative circle and abandon their migratory habits in the modern era. However, inner behavioural traits do not entirely vanish. Like dormant genes in our bodies, these traits somehow manifest, and their predatory actions led to various conflicts over encroachments in the lands of the indigenous landowners. It is therefore no surprise that these people have had a history of violence with almost every single tribe/community in the North-East. And they had been preparing for since long time to take over lands in Manipur, though these attempts, clothed in fancy-sounding constitutional jargon, have failed time and again. Thus, the only way that remained for them was to start physical violence, shift all blame to the Government of Manipur, and transform their acts of aggression and war crimes into an “ethnic clash” by provoking the “Majority” Meitei community. Then, in order to achieve their pre-conceived goal, they began following the strategy of propagating lies of victimhood through national and international media houses, begging for help in the name of “Minority”, “Tribal”, “Christians” and whatnot. By doing this, they were trying in every way possible to prove that they can never live at peace with the Meiteis and thus began going a step further in demanding a “Separate Administration” for themselves. But, they should understand that states cannot be created or divided on ethnic lines. It is untenable, obsolete, deeply problematic and stands against the spirit of Manipur, democracy, and modern society. We implore the Government of India to approach this issue with fairness and utilise the period of President’s Rule to provide the indigenous communities of Manipur with a platform to voice the truth, without giving way to political compulsions of any kind. They are the actual victims of the orchestrated violence, instigated in an extremely well-planned manner with the help of powerful militant groups. Their actions jeopardise the security of Bharat, making this a matter of utmost seriousness. But the incorrect narrative being parroted in the mainstream media since the beginning of the violence has led to consequential harm upon the indigenous communities, and the grave episodes of violence continued with no respite. It is also important to bring to light the impact of various actions undertaken by the Government of Manipur that posed obstacles in the way of the realisation of the “Separate Administration” dream, e.g. its withdrawal from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement, crackdown on land encroachments and illegal immigration. The SoO acted as a shield to deepen the separatist project, facilitating armed recruitment, arms deals, and poppy cultivation. It all began with the formation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) that meticulously appropriated terms like “Indigenous” and “Tribal” exclusively for itself. Despite its name, no Nagas, one of the indigenous tribal groups of Manipur and the Northeast, is a part of the organisation, making clear that it is a purely political platform that aims to project only a certain community as “Minority” and “Victim” in front of people from the rest of the country and the world who still do not have a clear idea of the Northeast and more so, the situation in Manipur. Their calculated deployment of rallies, social media manipulation, and violence backed by militants in collusion with their political leaders and officials poses a significant threat to inter-community relations in Manipur. It is simply their propaganda strategy of projecting the violence as a “Majority Meitei” versus a “Minority Tribal” conflict. In this regard, official recognition of the Meitei community as the indigenous/aboriginal people of Manipur, India, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is urgently required. The UNDRIP, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007, serves as a foundational document that affirms the rights and protections of indigenous communities worldwide. It was a monumental step towards recognising and safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples, and we look forward to the principles enshrined in the said document for guidance during these challenging times. The UN must uphold the spirit of the UNDRIP and intervene to address the dire circumstances the indigenous people of Manipur have been facing. The Declaration’s principles resonate with their situation, emphasising the importance of indigenous rights, protection from violence, and the right to live in dignity and peace. Their forced expulsion through terror and persecution in Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, and Kangpokpi districts of Manipur by non-indigenous people who now constitute the majority in these places, are important indicator of “ethnic cleansing” that potentially contributes to crimes against humanity and ‘Genocide' as decided by many international criminal tribunals such as the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia (ICTY). The challenges faced by Northeast India, especially Manipur, are connected to historical dynamics, demographic shifts and religious conversions, and current conflicts. The history of Manipur is replete with solid examples of how the illegal immigrants have peddled false narratives right from the time they first set foot on Manipuri territory till the violence of 2023-2024. Their aspirations for a separate entity, rooted in their historical patterns of migrations and colonial legacies, face challenges from Government initiatives like the ‘War on Drugs’ and territorial integrity efforts. The interplay of these factors, along with the SoO Agreement and drug-related issues, demands a nuanced and comprehensive approach for arriving at long-term and sustainable solutions aimed at conflict resolution and peace-building.

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