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    COVER STORY                                                              JUNE 27, 2025     |  The Indian Eye                    5

            “The Prime Minister was very clear
            — no foreign leader, no matter how
            friendly, has any role to play in our is-
            sues with Pakistan. That message was
            conveyed firmly and unambiguously.”
                Launched  in  April  2025,  Oper-
            ation Sindoor was India’s swift and
            coordinated military response to the
            deadly terror attack on a tourist con-
            voy in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
            The precision strikes targeted terror
            launchpads and infrastructure deep
            inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
            (PoK) and along the LoC, signaling a
            decisive shift in India’s counterterror
            strategy. Unlike previous operations,
            Sindoor was publicly acknowledged
            by the Indian government, projecting
            a message of strength and deterrence.      Congress Party supporters hold a protest against the US President Donald Trump’s claim of mediation in the ceasefire
                The operation caught Pakistan
            off-guard, both militarily and dip-                            between India and Pakistan, in Kolkata on Wednesday (ANI)
            lomatically. Islamabad scrambled
            to downplay the damage but faced  only reinforces India’s skepticism.  is claiming or doing, but the ambigui-  Navigating the Trump Era
            global scrutiny as evidence mounted                                 ty and instability it introduces into an
            about the scale of India’s retaliation.   Confusing Signals         already sensitive regional equation.   rump’s  claim  of  brokering  a
            Domestically, the Pakistani military                                    Moreover, Trump’s meeting          ceasefire, his meeting with Pa-
            was rattled by the speed and precision   rump’s foreign policy playbook  with Munir contrasts sharply with  Tkistan’s Army Chief, and his
            of the strikes, leading to increased    has always leaned toward per-  the Biden administration’s more  inconsistent stance on Kashmir are all
            pressure on the army’s credibility. In- Tsonalization and showmanship  cautious  approach  toward  Pakistan,  part of a larger pattern: an approach
            ternationally, the move strengthened  rather than consistent strategic prin-  especially on issues like democracy,  to diplomacy that is more performa-
            India’s image as a nation unwilling  ciples. His engagement with India  terrorism, and the crackdown on civil  tive than principled.
            to tolerate cross-border terrorism —  has often oscillated between admi-  society in Pakistan.            For India, the lesson is clear and
            and forced the world to take note of  ration for Modi and off-the-cuff re-  The broader concern in Delhi  consistent: build strong ties with the
            Pakistan’s continued support for ex-  marks about Kashmir that stir diplo-  and elsewhere is the pattern of con-  United States, but remain prepared
            tremist proxies.                  matic anxiety.                    tradictory signals emerging from  to push back against narrative over-
                Now, in a development that has    “Trump operates on impulse, not  Trump’s foreign policy language.  reach and defend sovereign positions
            complicated the diplomatic picture  policy,” said a former U.S. diplomat  On one hand, he touts his friendship  with clarity.
            further, Trump recently hosted Pa-  who worked in South Asia. “His style  with Modi and praises India’s eco-  Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the mil-
            kistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gener-  is to insert himself into high-stakes is-  nomic rise. On the other, he revives  itary seeks to rehabilitate its interna-
            al Asim Munir at the White House.  sues, claim credit, and move on. That  inflammatory narratives about Kash-  tional image and secure legitimacy
            While the Trump camp characterized  might work for domestic optics, but it  mir, holds meetings with Pakistani  after months of political turmoil.
            the meeting as informal, the optics  confuses allies.”              generals, and makes unsubstantiated  Hosting Munir could serve Trump in
            were unmistakable: a leading U.S.     For Indian diplomats and secu-  claims about brokering peace.   two ways: reinforcing his image as a
            political figure engaging directly with  rity planners, the concern is twofold:   This strategic ambiguity—some  dealmaker and signaling that he re-
            the most powerful man in Pakistan’s  not just the substance of what Trump  would call it tactical confusion—cre-  mains influential in global affairs. For
            political-military structure.                                       ates uncertainty not just for India but  Munir, a photo with Trump may help
                For India, the meeting triggers                                 for global partners watching how a  bolster his credibility both domesti-
            concern, not necessarily because of                                 second Trump term could reshape  cally and with the Pakistani diaspora.
            its immediate implications, but due                                 international alignments.             In India, Prime Minister Modi
            to the broader signals it sends about                                   “Trump is transactional and the-  remains focused on reinforcing  In-
            Trump’s approach to South Asia.                                     atrical,” said a former U.S. diplomat.  dia’s status as a regional and global
            The Indian establishment views the                                  “He likes grand gestures and person-  power. For him, any insinuation of
            Pakistan Army as the architect of                                   al rapport. But when it comes to stra-  U.S. interference — especially from
            cross-border terrorism and repeated                                 tegic consistency, especially in South  someone like Trump — must be pub-
            disruptions in Indo-Pak peace talks.                                Asia, he’s a wildcard.”           licly and diplomatically countered.
                “This isn’t just a photo-op,” said                                  Still, for countries like India,   Union Minister Hardeep Singh
            a South Asia analyst in Washington.                                 these moments matter. The potential  Puri said that Trump’s outreach to
            “It’s a signal to Islamabad that if                                 for diplomatic misrepresentation or  Munir changes nothing: “India is
            Trump returns, Rawalpindi may find                                  pressure—especially from a leader  clear in its red lines — Kashmir and
            a friendlier White House.”                                          who operates outside the norms of  terror are not subjects for external
                That possibility is not lost on                                 traditional diplomacy—poses real  discussion.”
            New Delhi. Trump’s past statements                                  challenges.                           India’s response to Trump’s re-
            and actions reflect a deep unpredict-                                   That’s  why  Modi’s  firmness  on  cent moves has been measured but
            ability in foreign policy — from offer-                             bilateralism, even in the face of re-  resolute. The government has reiter-
            ing to mediate on Kashmir to prais-  Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Pakistani   peated provocation, matters. It sends  ated that all dialogue with Pakistan
            ing  authoritarian  figures.  Engaging   Army chief, was invited to the White House   a message not just to Pakistan, but to  must be direct, free from third-par-
            Pakistan’s army chief while claiming   for lunch this week (File photo)  all external actors: India is open to  ty interference, and conditioned on
            credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire                              partnership, but not patronage.   concrete action against terrorism.

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