Tuesday, 22nd April 2025. It is late afternoon when suddenly “breaking news” flashes across TV screens. In the meadow area in Baisaran Valley, located about 5 Kms from the hill resort of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, 26 people have been shot dead in an attack by militants.India swiftly blamed Pakistan for the attack, despite the absence of any conclusive evidence. I had raised multiple questions about the hollowness of the Indian claims in a number of columns written last year. The biggest question nevertheless remains: How did India know within an hour of the incident that Pakistan was behind it? And if it did, why did she not take appropriate measures in arresting the militants, before the incident?Interestingly, “Operation Mahadev” launched by the Indian Army, Police and Intelligence agencies, to arrest the perpetrators ended in July, 2025. Home Minister Amit Shah made a statement in Lok Sabha that the three militants responsible for the Pahalgam attack have been killed. Despite massive demand by the public, there was no transparent, publicly accessible visual confirmation of specific bodies. No independent forensic audit, no DNA report and no third independent party verification was done.  Then, in the night between 6th and 7th May, 2025, India attacked Pakistan, unprovoked, across the international borders, naming it “Operation Sindoor.” What ensued in the next four days, is a story about the defeat of hubris and pride. After losing 7 aircraft including Rafales and suffering other major losses, India agreed to a ceasefire, which has withstood so far. The........

© The Nation