India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
As
India
holds
firm
and
vigilant,
a
visibly
cornered
Pakistan
is
now
sending
out
feelers
of
peace.
Hours
after
India
crushed
Pakistan’s
much-hyped
Operation
Bunyan
Unmarsoos,
launching
precision
airstrikes
on
Pakistani
military
assets
in
a
retaliatory
action,
Pakistan’s
Foreign
Minister
Ishaq
Dar
has
now
signaled
a
desire
to
de-escalate
–
but
only
if
India
stops
first.
Pakistan’s
Foreign
Minister
Ishaq
Dar,
in
a
televised
statement
on
Saturday
as
reported
by
Reuters,
said,”If
India
stops
here,
we
will
consider
stopping
too.”
This
statement,
while
sounding
conciliatory
on
the
surface,
raises
a
critical
question:
Can
Pakistan
truly
abandon
its
terror
playbook,
or
is
this
just
another
tactical
ploy?
Dar
told
Pakistan’s
Geo
News
that
he
relayed
the
same
message
to
U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Marco
Rubio,
who
contacted
him
roughly
two
hours
after
speaking
with
New
Delhi.
“We
acted
because
our
patience
had
worn
thin.
If
India
halts
its
actions
now,
we
too
will
consider
doing
the
same,” he
stated.
Pakistan’s
credibility,
especially
on
matters
of
terror
and
cross-border
violence,
remains
deeply
eroded
in
the
global
arena.
Despite
claiming
victimhood,
it
continues
to
shelter
and
support
radical
outfits
operating
with
impunity
from
its
soil
–
a
pattern
that
has
often
preceded
similar
calls
for
“peace”
in
the
past.
India,
on
its
part,
has
made
it
clear:
no
escalation
unless
provoked
further.
The
Indian
armed
forces
remain
on
high
alert
after
observing
increased
Pakistani
troop
deployments
near
forward
positions
along
the
border
–
a
move
seen
as
provocative
and
loaded
with
“offensive
intent.”
At
a
press
briefing
in
New
Delhi,
the
Indian
military
rubbished
claims
of
major
damage
at
its
bases
and
clarified
that
no
missile
had
struck
Afghan
territory,
countering
another
round
of
false
propaganda
from
across
the
border.
Meanwhile,
U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Marco
Rubio,
after
speaking
with
Dar,
urged
both
nations
to
re-establish
communication
and
avoid
any
miscalculation.
Yet,
the
core
issue
remains
unaddressed:
Can
Pakistan
be
trusted
to
rein
in
its
terror
infrastructure,
or
is
this
merely
another
tactical
pause?
India’s
position
is
clear
–
it
seeks
peace
but
with
accountability.
De-escalation
cannot
be
a
cover
for
regrouping
and
rearming
terror
proxies.
As
the
world
watches,
the
ball
isn’t
just
in
India’s
court,
as
Dar
claims
–
it’s
in
Pakistan’s
hands.
And
the
question
remains:
Will
Pakistan
finally
dismantle
its
terror
machinery,
or
will
history
repeat
itself
–
once
again
at
the
cost
of
peace?
