INDIA has been constantly heading toward a military mobilization of its armed forces following the Pahalgam false flag operation.
The Indian political leadership and BJP-led media have fuelled war hysteria among the public, behaving immaturely through provocative and offensive statements against Pakistan.
Despite global concerns over the escalating situation between India and Pakistan in the post-Pahalgam scenario, the Indian government appears determined to initiate a conflict.
India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the Pahalgam attack; however, Pakistan strongly denied the allegation and instead called for a neutral inquiry into the incident.
On April 30, 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had an in-depth telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart about the emerging situation in South Asia.
Mr Marco Rubio had a similar conversation with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
He emphasized both countries to de-escalate and work together for a peaceful negotiated solution of the issue.
Sequel to this false flag operation, Indian Army has started targeting the innocent Kashmiris, residing all around the site of incident and elsewhere in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
So far Indian Military has arrested over 5000 Kashmiri youth and put them into torture centres and military camps where some of them have been killed in fake encounters.
Besides, India Military has detonated dozens of houses and humiliated the females and elders of the area.
Seeing the new phase of Indian oppression against Kashmiris of IIOJK, it appears that, India has meticulously planned the Pahalgam false flag to achieve long-terms strategic goals like; (a) compelling Pakistan to re-negotiate Indus Water Treaty-1960, (b) to put Pakistan on defensive by levelling accusations of sponsoring terrorism so that Pakistan should stop supporting Kashmiris on political, diplomatic and moral grounds, (c) to declare Kashmiris of IIOJK as terrorists, (d) to initiate military operations against Kashmiris of IIOJK on the pattern of Israeli genocide acts against Palestinians (Gaza).
Indeed, Kashmiris have strongly opposed the Indian strategy of making demographic changes in IIOJK, despite a curfew-like situation ever since August 2019.
It is to be noted that, from the very beginning of 21st century, India planned and executed many false flag operations to defame Pakistan and relegate its global contributions against India-sponsored terrorism besides diverting the attention of Indian masses from domestic issues where Hindutva ideology has exploited the Indian society to an extreme level.
Some major false flag operations, India carried out include; (i) Chittisinghpura-2000, Indian RAW massacred 35 Sikhs and blamed Pakistan and Kashmiris, (ii) Indian Parliament attack-2001, (c) Mumbai attack 2008, (d) Pathankot attack 2016, (e) Uri attack 2016 and (f) Pulwama attack 2019.
In the aftermath of these false flags operations, many Indian officials revealed the real Indian motives behind these attacks.
All were of the view that these false flag operations were conducted by India itself to defame Pakistan and project itself as a victim for international sympathy and attention.
In 2023, the former Governor of IIOJK, Mr Satya Pal Malik exposed Indian secrets behind the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019.
Immediately after the attack, Satya Pal contacted Indian Prime Minister Modi and Mr Ajit Doval who advised him to remain quiet.
Pal’s finding was that Modi planned that false flag operation to win Indian public support for him in Elections-2019 besides many other aims and objectives.
This all ended with the Indian Air Force physical incursion into the Pakistani aerial space up to Balakot which was responded by Pakistan by shooting two Indian aircraft in Nowshera sector of IIOJK.
Strategically, India wanted to prove its military ascendancy over Pakistan and in the broader region of South Asia which Pakistan countered befittingly.
The Pakistan retaliation and shooting of Indian aircrafts have put India into a humiliating position, with a strategic disadvantage.
In order to cover its humiliation, the Indian Prime Minister asked for better equipment and new aircrafts like the Rafale, which India later procured from France in 2021.
On the other hand, Pakistan today stands at a higher pedestal with a strategically dominating position in and around South Asia.
International community has rejected the Indian accusations against Pakistan and the false flag operations; it has carried out since the beginning of 21st century.
While analysing the history of India false flag operations, one gets the impression that India considers Pakistan as the last hurdle in achieving the status of a regional hegemon in South Asia.
Many a times, Pakistan demanded India to answer the questions raised by former Governor Mr Pal Malik.
“It is time India should be held accountable for the actions that imperilled regional peace in the aftermath of Pulwama attack.
” Unfortunately, the international community did not question India for its massive human rights violations in IIOJK and repeatedly conducted false flag operations and blamed Pakistan and Kashmiris.
With a sufficient number of Rafales in the inventory of the Indian Air Force Prime Minister Modi and his team may be dreaming of taking revenge of February 27, 2019.
India should not miscalculate Pakistani national resolve and operational preparedness of its armed forces.
Pakistan is against the war, nevertheless, if it is imposed, India will face the worst consequences.
Therefore, it is more appropriate that India should stop false flags operations and cease blaming Pakistan for its own misconduct against its masses.
Rather, India should negotiate with Pakistan on all bilateral issues and give Kashmiris their right of self-determination as demanded in UN Resolutions.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad. (drmkedu@gmail.com)
