Operation Sindoor: India's New Normal Dominance Of Pakistan

2025-05-21 06:09:54

(MENAFN- Asia Times) The recently announced ceasefire – referred to as an“understanding” by New Delhi – has drawn considerable criticism within India. Many argue that it failed to impose a sufficient cost on Pakistan, particularly when India held a dominant position across multiple domains – land, air, naval, cyber and informational.

Critics saw the move as yet another example of India's historical tendency to forgo strategic advantages in favor of political or diplomatic expediency. Concerns were also raised over the nature of the agreement, especially its oral format and perceived openness to third-party mediation in what India considers a strictly bilateral issue.

While such critiques are understandable, a more careful examination of the post-Pahalgam attack timeline, patterns of escalation and actions by both militaries reveals a more nuanced and compelling picture.

A deeper analysis of the sequence of events reveals a calibrated Indian response that has redefined both the deterrence equilibrium and the normative boundaries of regional conflict.

First, India's response adhered to its doctrine of limited war under the nuclear threshold, but the scale and precision of strikes, extending from Karachi to Rawalpindi, marked a departure from previous patterns.

By targeting key military and terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan's heartland, India expanded the operational bandwidth of conventional force within a nuclear context. This reset the escalatory ladder, tilting it in India's favor and exposing the limitations of Pakistan's nuclear posturing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on May 13 – that Operation Sindoor represents a“paradigm shift” in India's approach – was not a rhetorical flourish. India's ability to dictate the terms of engagement, maintain escalation dominance, and avoid international backlash represents a substantive change in regional deterrence dynamics.

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