Daily Briefing: India ups the ante
India's military response to the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 civilian lives, was expected. But in targeting pre-selected targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India has upped the ante. The message is clear: India will not tolerate terrorism, and it won't hesitate to strike hard and far to root it out.
Advance: This marks India's deepest incursion into Pakistani territory yet. In 2016, after the Uri attack, the Army went 3 km into PoK. In 2019, Balakot saw an airstrike 60 km across the Line of Control. Operation Sindoor pushed the envelope further, striking 150 km inside Pakistan. The operation also broke with tradition in one subtle but telling way: its name. Unlike past operations that carried militaristic overtones, Sindoor signals a thematic shift, one that alluded to the lives lost in the April 22 terror attack.
Restraint: Notably, India avoided targeting Pakistani military assets. Instead, the nine sites struck were terror camps linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, including one reportedly tied to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. For a detailed breakdown, read my colleague Deeptiman Tiwary's explainer.
Zoom out: Though not immediate, India's response was calculated. The government strategically used the intervening two weeks to gather support from friends and foes, globally and internally. Even on Wednesday, India mounted a diplomatic outreach to major powers, including the US and China. While the US has offered assistance, China called for restraint on both sides.
Zoom in: Unlike the strikes of 2016 and 2019, which saw political bickering, Operation Sindoor has broad political consensus. My colleague Manoj C G decodes the undertones of Opposition support and explains why it was different this time. Meanwhile, all political parties are set to gather today to discuss the operation. Congress has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the meeting.
The following 24-48 hours are key as India awaits a response from the Asim Munir-led Pakistan Army, if any. Pakistan has already escalated ceasefire violations along the LoC. At least 13 people, including a soldier and four children have been killed in cross-border shelling.
Lastly, I leave you with these two must-read columns from our Opinion pages today.
One, former finance minister of J&K, Haseeb A Drabu, writes how for the first time, a distinction has been made between the Kashmir issue and terrorism. He argues that in targeting terror camps, India has reframed it as a national security matter and not a Kashmir-specific issue.
Two, a retired Indian ambassador, Jawed Ashraf, underscores the complex task ahead of upending the cycle of attacks from Pakistan and its proxies.
Before you go… on a very different note, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Tests. For most cricket enthusiasts, this was no surprise. After a damaging tour in Australia earlier this year, Rohit faced increased scrutiny over his form. Read Sriram Veera's well-written deep dive into what was Sharma's undoing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Bhovi community seeks nomination to Legislative Council
Members of the Bhovi community have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, to nominate a member of their community to the Legislative Council. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, former Chairman of the Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation G.V. Seetharamu said it was only in 1980 when a member of their community was nominated to the Legislative Council by the Congress party. Since the nomination of R. Peeranna, former MLA for H.D. Kote, in 1980 by the then Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao, not a single member of the community has been nominated to the Council, he said. The Bhovi community comes under the Scheduled Caste (SC), and is the third largest in the 1.8 crore SC population in the State, said Mr. Seetharamu, claiming that the Bhovi community's population in Karnataka is estimated to be around 18 lakh. Even though Congress has 33 MLCs in the State Legislative Council that has a total strength of 75 seats, not a single one of them belongs to the Bhovi community, he said. Mr. Seetharamu said that from his travel across the State between the 2013 assembly elections and the 2023 elections, he had seen how the Bhovi community has stood behind the Congress party. He urged Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar to recognise the dedication of the Bhovi community to the party and nominate their member to the Council. Out of the 75 members in the Legislative Council, 25 are elected by local bodies and another 25 by the members of the Legislative Assembly. While seven others are elected from graduates' constituencies, another seven are elected from the teachers' constituencies. Another 11 members are nominated by the Governor based on the recommendation of the government.
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
311 more Indian nationals return home, 1428 evacuated from war-hit Iran so far
The Indian government continues to bring back Indian nationals, including students stranded in the war-torn Iran, under the Operation Sindhu. The latest batch of 311 Indians arrived in the national capital via a special flight from Mashhad, even as the tensions escalated to a new high in the Middle East region following the bombing of key Iranian nuclear facilities by the US bomber planes. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to X on Sunday to share an update on India's evacuation drive from Iran under the Operation Sindhu, and also gave exact numbers of evacuees from the war-hit zone. 'Operation Sindhu continues. 311 Indian nationals arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Mashhad at 16:30 hrs on 22nd June. 1428 Indian nationals have now been evacuated from Iran,' said Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, in a tweet. Kashmiri students comprise a large portion of the contingent, being evacuated from the Gulf state. J&K Students Association also thanked the government for the sustained evacuation drive from the conflict-torn zone. 'The Mahan Air flight (W50071A) from Mashhad, Iran, carrying over 280 Indian students, including 200+ from Kashmir, has safely landed in Delhi. A moment of immense relief and joy for families who waited with anxious hearts,' said the J&K Students Association on X. It further said, 'We thank the Ministry of External Affairs, Government authorities and all those officials engaged in the operation for their swift response, tireless coordination, and support in ensuring the safe evacuation of our students from Mashhad, Iran. Your efforts brought our students home.' Meanwhile, the Indian government has taken up the task of evacuating the Nepalese and Sri Lankan nationals from the Gulf nation, being hit by Israeli and US strikes. The Embassy of India in Tehran announced on Saturday that citizens of Sri Lanka and Nepal would be evacuated by the Government of India, as per the requests from respective governments.
Hindustan Times
42 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Vijay Deverakonda booked under SC/ST Act over his remarks about tribal people during Retro pre-release event
Actor Vijay Deverakonda has found himself in trouble as a case has been registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for his remarks about tribal people during the pre-release event of Retro. The police confirmed the development to PTI on Sunday. Vijay Deverakonda faces trouble as police registers case against him for remarks against tribal people.(PTI) Case registered against Vijay Deverakonda Police stated that although the remarks, which likened the recent terror attack in Pahalgam to tribal conflicts from 500 years ago, were made in April, a case under the SC/ST Act was registered against the actor on 17 June following a complaint. "The actor made comments in April. However, based on a complaint, a case under the SC/ST Act was booked against him on 17 June,' a police official told PTI. The complaint was lodged by Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik, also known as Ashok Rathod, who serves as the State President of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities. He alleged that during the pre-release event of the film Retro, which stars actor Surya, the actor made statements that hurt the sentiments of tribal communities and caused serious offence. Rathod further claimed that the actor's comparison of tribal people to Pakistani terrorists was racially insensitive. What Vijay Deverakonda had said During the pre-release event of Surya's film Retro, Vijay addressed the Pahalgam terror attack and said, 'The solution to what is happening in Kashmir is also to educate them (terrorists) and ensure they don't get brainwashed. What will they achieve? Kashmir belongs to India, and Kashmiris are ours. India doesn't even need to attack Pakistan because Pakistanis themselves are fed up with their government and will attack them if this continues. Asalu 500 years back tribals kokkutunnatu, veelu buddi lekunda, minimum common sense lekunda chese panulu.' (They behave like tribals did 500 years ago, fighting without common sense). After facing backlash on social media for his comments, the actor expressed regret. He took to X and wrote, "It has come to my attention that a remark I made during the Retro audio launch event has caused concern among some members of the public. I wish to sincerely clarify: there was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community, especially our Scheduled Tribes, who I deeply respect and consider an integral part of our country." The actor clarified that his intention was to promote unity, emphasising that India is one, its people are one, and the nation must progress together. He expressed disbelief at the idea that, while advocating for national solidarity, he would deliberately target or discriminate against any community, all of whom he considers part of his larger family. He concluded, "If any part of my message was misunderstood or hurtful, I express my sincere regret. My only aim was to speak of peace, progress, and togetherness. I remain committed to using my platform to uplift and unify — never to divide. Vijay Deverakonda."
