Terror, Trade, Trump, Threat & Trolls

One was expecting Modi to reject Trump’s mediation offer to “settle” the Kashmir issue. India has always maintained that it does not require any third-party intervention. Moreover, the BJP and its previous manifestation the Bharatiya Jana Sangh have been a bitter critic of Nehru for raising the Kashmir issue at the UN…Modi’s taunt at Dr Manmohan Singh during the 2014 poll campaign that the then PM was singing “Obama, Obama” when the Pak-based terrorists were playing havoc with India still echoes in my ears

The big terrorist attacks of the world, be it 9/11, be it London Tube bombings, or the big terrorist attacks which have happened in India in the last many decades their roots are somehow connected to these terrorist hideouts. The terrorists had wiped out the Sindoor of our sisters and India responded by destroying their terrorist headquarters. -Prime Minister Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi was firm when he declared that India has dealt a deadly blow to terror-sponsor Pakistan. We have defeated Pakistan every time on the battlefield. And this time Operation Sindoor has added a new dimension. We have displayed our capabilities in the deserts and mountains and proved our superiority in New Age Warfare. During this operation the credibility of our Made in India weapons were also proven. Today the world is witnessing that in 21st century warfare the time has come for Made in India defence equipment, Modi said.

Moreover, Modi also declared that the firing has only been suspended and India is fully prepared to strike again with full force if Pakistan indulged in more misadventures and dares to sneak in terrorists.

He also conveyed to the global community that our stated policy has been: if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on terrorism; and if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Operation Sindoor was much fiercer than the previous surgical strikes as it has destroyed the Jaish and LeT bases.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “Our Armed Forces displayed valour & restraint and gave a befitting reply by attacking many military bases of Pakistan. Not only did we take action against military bases adjacent to the border, but the indignation of our Armed Forces reached even Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani military headquarters are located,” he said.

Rajnath Singh called BrahMos as not just one of the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles, but a message of the strength of the Indian Armed Forces, a message of deterrence to adversaries, and a message of the nation’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding its borders. He added that BrahMos is a confluence of top defence technologies of India and Russia.

Amid all this it sounds a bit strange for the US to claim that it has brokered peace between the two nuclear powers. The Trumpet sounds were well orchestrated with what. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire much before the Indian government did on Saturday.

Trump wrote on social media platform Truth:"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

As I tuned into the 6 PM bulletin of All India Radio to listen to the government announcement, I received the US State Department’s message in my inbox, attributing to Marco Rubio, Secretary of State: “Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik”.

“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.

We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”

Then we had the Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif thanking the US.

This was neither confirmed nor denied by India; not even the Bhakts’ social media network or WhatsApp University uncles said a word questioning the US. No toolkit on this.

The international media was speculating on how both India and Pakistan will try to find a way to walk away from the near-war situation. India was striking blow after blow to Pak, smashing swarms of drones and other air and missile attacks from across and the ceasefire announcement came all of a sudden.

While the world was wondering as to what prompted the silencing of the guns, India said the Pak director general of military affairs made contact with his Indian counterpart and offered the olive branch which we accepted. And Modi reiterated it in his 8 PM address on Monday.

He said: “India's strong air defense system destroyed them in the sky itself. Pakistan had prepared for an attack on the border, but India struck at the heart of Pakistan. India's drones and missiles attacked with precision. They damaged those airbases of the Pakistani Air Forces, of which Pakistan was very proud. India caused heavy damage to Pakistan in the first three days itself, which it had never imagined. That's why after India's aggressive action, Pakistan started looking for ways to escape. Pakistan was pleading to the world to ease tensions. And after suffering heavy losses, Pakistan's army contacted our DGMO on the afternoon of 10th May. By then we had destroyed the infrastructure of terrorism on a large scale. The terrorists were eliminated. We had destroyed the terror camps established in the heart of Pakistan. Therefore, when Pakistan appealed and said that it will not indulge in any sort of terror activities or military audacity further, India considered it.”

One was expecting Modi to reject Trump’s mediation offer to “settle” the Kashmir issue. India has always maintained that it does not require any third party intervention. Moreover, the BJP and its previous manifestation the Bharatiya Jana Sangh have been a bitter critic of Nehru for raising the Kashmir issue at the UN.

Modi’s taunt at Dr Manmohan Singh during the 2014 poll campaign that the then PM was singing “Obama, Obama” when the Pak-based terrorists were playing havoc with India still echoes in my ears. What happened now for Modi to accept Trump’s offer?

I was asked on a TV debate on Saturday night as to what could have led to Trump’s claims and my reply was: trade issues might have influenced India to accept the US formula. Two days later, Trump himself announced that he played the ‘trade card’ with both India and Pakistan. He threatened to stop with both countries if they did not stop firing at each other, he said. Then they accepted the ceasefire.

In the absence of any clarification from India, the world will continue to believe Trump though his credibility at home is at an all-time low. He had promised 90 deals in 90 days and signed just two major deals with the UK and China. Many in the US see the deal with China as a major climbdown. In an unprecedented move, Trump is accepting a huge gift from Qatar – a Boeing 777- which is being ridiculed by the US media that does not accept nonsense at the White House. Remember the Watergate?

Meanwhile, in a highly reprehensible troll, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri who has been the media face for briefings on Operation Sindoor is being heavily bombarded for announcing the ceasefire on behalf of the government. Worse, the right-wing trolls have targeted his daughter. And the worst part is none from the PM down to any of the media motormouths have said a word against the dirty, shameful posts which I shall not repeat here. The IAS and IPS associations have defended the IFS officer. Misri had to block his X account.

It is high time the BJP leaders stopped encouraging these dirty trolls and took strong action, including filing of defamation cases.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a YouTube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging)