We are living an increasingly make-believe world. Truth is far from what is being dished out as information. Claims, counter-claims, rebuttals rent the air while truth goes on a holiday. It is cleverly hidden from our eyes. Parliament heard accusations against the government vis-à-vis Pahalgam and its after-effects in the form of Operation Sindoor. We heard a lot, but are yet to know what really happened on the ground –more than what was initially dished out by a pliant media, followed by claims by the chief of defence staff and now the explanations in the form of replies to the debate by ministers, topped by the Prime Minister himself. What none of them would say is how many fighter jets India lost in the military engagement.
The government takes refuge behind a smokescreen. The Prime Minister’s final round-up of the discussions skillfully avoided answers to prime questions and instead, he and his ministers went back in time, exorcising the ghosts of the past, like the ‘blunders’ of previous governments. In the absence of specific answers to vital questions, we are left with more chaff and little grain. It could force many to believe in the figures projected by Pakistan, like its claim that India lost five to six fighter jets in the war, while they lost none. All goes to show the Modi government has much to hide about the military engagement that cost India heavily in terms of precious resources; and prima facie, without gaining anything tangible.
Even the ceasefire “announcement” from the US, about which a lot of confusion prevailed, remains unexplained in Parliament other than for some flat denials. This takes us back to the claim by Trump, then, that both India and Pakistan agreed to his call for ceasefire in return for his offer of some alluring trade deals with them. Now, Pakistan is smiling ear to ear over his trade ‘concessions’ and India is groaning under the weight of his imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on exports to the US from India. Who won and who lost the game is well-answered. Trump’s actions are bound to bleed India in some of the prime sectors of its exports, namely textiles and garments, pharmaceutical items, jewellery, auto spare-parts etc. Trump is duty-bound to protect America’s interests, just as Modi is to protect India’s. A hug and a laugh by themselves are simply diplomatic niceties. Diplomacy principally aims at facilitation of deals through hard-edged bargain with a broad smile. Too much need not be read into an occasional hug between Trump and Modi, or any other leader for that matter. The US needs India to take on China. It needs Pakistan to do much more. Policies are dictated by geopolitical interests; not by a hug and a smile. A ceasefire at the ‘wrong time’ too might have suited Trump’s geopolitical game plans; not necessarily India’s.
