Modi's overreach

In 1837, when Hans Christian Andersen published his fairy tale 'The Emperor’s New Clothes', commonly called 'The King is Naked', he wouldn’t have even imagined that his description of the monarch would, one day, suit an Indian prime minister.

The Danish author had tried to advise, in a very subtle way, why everyone must make their own judgment and express views fearlessly. At the top of it, instead of being a narcissist, the king or the ruler must ‘’trouble about his soldiers’’.

Yes, before starting a war against a much smaller nation, Pakistan, there were many reasons why Narendra Modi found himself invincible.

First and foremost, despite being remembered as the ‘Butcher of Gujrat’, Narendra Modi had ruled the state from 2001-2014 as an unchallenged Chief Minister. And since then, through his most divisive politics, Modi is serving as the Prime Minister of India for a consecutive third term.

With that background, it is natural to be proud of his achievements in domestic politics. However, his illusional pride must be blamed more for how he was courted by the Western countries. To these ‘free democracies’, India could be a double-edged sword against Russia and China.

During his tenure, Modi has served their interests on many regional and international platforms like joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) to name a few.

In return, it attracted billions of dollars’ worth of investments that transformed the Indian economy. These developments also gave a false notion that the Trishul or trident carrying Modi had attained cosmic power and authority, who can create, preserve and destroy anything of his choosing.

Pakistan’s fragile economy, on the other hand, found itself at the mercy of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. Over these years, finding the United States as ‘’an unreliable partner’’, it also gradually slid toward China and started improving its relationship with Russia.

Throughout this period, Pakistan also endured an unprecedented level of terrorism. It witnessed the brutal assassination of its twice-elected prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the massacre at Army Public School and attacks on military installations including GHQ (Rawalpindi), PNS Mehran (Karachi), a busy market in Cantonment (Lahore) and a foiled attempt on PAF base (Mianwali) to mention a few.

It gave the impression that a few thousand terrorists could create havoc and subdue the armed forces of Pakistan at their whim.

Poisonous propaganda by some political leaders equally contributed to the conviction that the Pakistani people as a nation have lost confidence in their armed forces.

So, what could have been a better month to attack Pakistan than May? A month, when the workers of a political party had resorted to violence against the state institutions, security installations and significant buildings, including the Corps Commander House, Lahore (formerly Jinnah House).

For the arrogant Indian prime minister, it was one of the most auspicious moments in history to attack Pakistan, settle scores, please hardliners at home and show the international players that India was ready to take on China next.

Talking to this scribe, British Pakistani Lord Aamer Sarfraz of Kensington said, “Economic strength alone does not confer battlefield superiority. In today’s complex, multi-domain environment, strategic overreach - especially when driven by domestic political objectives - is a serious miscalculation. Aggressive posturing is not a show of strength, rather, it is strategic negligence.”

But, ‘’sitting in his wardrobe,’’ the so-called king of South Asia was orchestrating an aggressive attack. He wanted to ‘show off his new clothes’ (armament) that were gifted by the West.

The Honorary Consul General of Cote D’Ivoire Fazal Karim Dadabhoy says, ‘’Modi’s failed attempt to subdue Pakistan through military bravado has not only ended in strategic embarrassment but has also exposed the hollow foundations of his aggressive rhetoric. What was meant to project strength has instead undermined the credibility of his forces and severely dented his personal image, both at home and abroad.’’

Martin Luther King Jr. had rightly said that ‘’The silence of the good people is more dangerous than the brutality of the bad people".

Yet, Modi was high on the false sense of superiority. After the Pahalgam incident, ‘’The Emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the procession, through the streets of his capital,’’ blaming Islamabad for the terrorist incident in Kashmir and thumping his chest that India would decimate Pakistan.

Next, he took his ‘’faithful old wise man’’ (Godi Media) into confidence. “What can be the meaning of this?” thought the old man (media), opening his eyes very wide. I cannot find the least bit of thread on the looms.” (Strength to beat Pakistan) However, the media opted to toe the official policy blindly.

“Oh, it is excellent! Replied the old wise man, looking at the loom (Indian Armed Forces) through his spectacles. Indeed, your Imperial Majesty. The cloth (attack) which the weavers (armed forces) are preparing is extraordinarily magnificent.”

Godi Media portrayed a picture of the impregnability of the Indian military. So, no surprise that the Hindu extremists were ready to drink tea in Lahore, munch Biryani in Karachi and relax in Margalla Hills, Islamabad.

‘’All the people standing by, and those at the windows, cried out, “Oh! How beautiful are our Emperor’s new clothes!’’ (The rhetoric).

‘’No one would admit these much-admired clothes could not be seen’’ (had no value), for they didn’t check the facts or bother to see the other side of the story. Till then, the Indians were only desperately waiting for the official declaration of victory.

Their hopes were dashed when the Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir meticulously planned a befitting reply. The army stopped the Indian invasion by relentlessly bombing enemy positions, hacking their systems and the Air Force shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafael, an S-400 and all the military installations that had served as the launching pad to attack the sovereignty of Pakistan.

Hence, for the utmost mortification of India, the whole theatre abruptly ended. The message of Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DGISPR) Lt. Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry to Narendra Modi, Godi media and embarrassed Indian public was plain and simple, ‘’You have to grow up, stop living in Bollywood.’’

After the war, some sense has prevailed. However, in retrospect, India must not blame France for providing Rafael, which revealed the so-called king of South Asia was ‘naked’.

As a matter of fact, it will be utterly wrong to blame the ‘pretended weavers’ who Hans Christian Andersen described in his fairytale as ‘’thieves’’. For all good reasons, they had every right to claim their ability to prepare ‘Splendid dress’’ of ‘’the most beautiful colours and patterns’’ (fighter jets).

Pakistan’s Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb rightly pointed out the fact that, ‘’Rafael is NOT a bad plane; it is an Equally Potent Aircraft- I mean, if employed well’’.

And, it was an equally right approach that India didn’t resort to any naval misadventure. Or after Rafael were shot, Delhi knew well what was coming.

The Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations) Vice Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz had meaningfully smiled when, during a press conference, he said that, ‘’Next time when you think of the Pakistan Navy and the silent guy, remember, our actions will always speak louder than words.’’

After the war, Modi is rightly ‘’upset’’ as the whole world is shouting with full volume that, ‘’The Emperor has nothing at all on!” or in other words, Modi has exposed the vulnerability of India. So, what lessons does Delhi must learn from this whole episode?

‘’It is essential for Prime Minister Modi to recognise the importance of respecting neighbouring countries, regardless of their size,’’ remarked Chairman American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee Dr. Ijaz Ahmad.

However, the record surge in weapon procurement is a clear sign that graceless Narendra Modi is still trying to have another ‘’splendid dress’’ or has decided that the ‘’procession must go on now!’’

‘’The next 20 days, notably the period surrounding Eid, will be pivotal. It is unlikely that Modi will refrain from launching an attack. Although Pakistan has decisively won the battle, the war is still ongoing. The nation must be well-prepared. They will come back with greater preparation,’’ said American-Pakistani analyst Tanweer Ahmed.

After all, by facing defeat, India has also lost its claim on IIoK as President Donald Trump has repeatedly stressed to resolve the Kashmir Issue. Otherwise, the world had kept silence after Modi tried to usurp IIOK by revoking the special status of the IIOK in August 2019.

Here, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his able Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar must be credited for highlighting the core dispute at the right time. They have made it known that South Asia will remain on the brink of war unless this core issue is resolved.

But for Modi, not only is the internationalisation of the Kashmir dispute the reason why he would wage another war. India has a much bigger obligation to restore the credibility of those Western nations that have supplied it with weapons and pumped it up to stand against China.

Foreign Minister Dar, who employed masterstroke diplomatic efforts to beat India on the international front, says Pakistan is ready to face any eventuality.

Dar has offered Modi a fig leaf and stressed restoring ‘’Composite Dialogue’’ and, in the same breath, made it evident that ‘’India has already received a reply. But if it takes another step, the response will be harsher.’’

The author is Controller News at Geo News. He posts on X/@NasimHaider2 and can be reached at [email protected]