India is currently engaged in a major diplomatic outreach to over 30 countries across continents to explain to the respective governments the context in which the Modi government undertook the multi-level Operation Sindoor offensive earlier this month. This might or might not clear the misunderstandings, if any, surrounding the high-stakes military and allied endeavours. It’s true that Pakistan’s lie factory went into an overdrive to claim it ably withstood the Indian onslaught. The government here says it wants to explain the context – how terrorists trained in Pakistan have in iterations been engaged in blasts, bloodshed and other acts of violence in Kashmir Valley and beyond. It wants to explain that India, with its superior fire power, “taught a lesson” to the adversary and yet caused too little human or military casualties. However, questions are asked– and rightly so– as to why India does this when no other nation has ever undertaken such a diplomatic outreach.
Without doubt, India can stand on a high moral ground for the fact that the Pahalgam massacre was not only the bloodiest and most inhuman but also the handiwork of Pakistan’s ISI-modules. This was a reason why even the Islamic nations in general gave their silent nod to the military operations to neutralize terrorist modules in Pakistan. The world generally understood what India meant also because global communication networks reach information with high speed. Everyone is familiar with the Pakistan military generals’ obsession to indulge in bombast. It is likely that the all-party delegations that criss-cross continents make matters more explicit to India’s allies and to those who remained silent. Yet, admittedly, there is more drama and hype than stuff to these political or diplomatic engagements. If the idea is to hammer home the point that India stood as one in support of the military and other offensives, the fact is that no one ever doubted it. A question also arises as to what our diplomatic missions in these countries and their staff, trained in the art of communication, are there for – and can these bunch of second-line politicians do a better job at explaining matters or convincing the movers and shakers. Diplomacy is a finely crafted art. Not every politician at home can either communicate well or act impressively on a foreign soil.
An advantage for Modi, perhaps, is that all these ‘delegates’ can however be depended on to avoid raising uncomfortable questions in Parliament when they meet next time for a discussion on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor. The government perhaps intended as much. After ‘explaining’ matters outside, with what face can these worthies now question the government back home? Also, it would sound curious that the Modi outreach is happening when he’s not willing to explain many details of the military operations to the people here. There exists a veil of secrecy. Questions raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others remain unanswered. Silence or drama cannot be an answer to vital questions of national importance.
