l Washington, May 15 (ANI): A former Pentagon official, Michael Rubin, has said that India targeted terror infrastructure with precision, and it was able to blunt Pakistan’s response following the recent strikes, and that “Pakistan went running to try to achieve a ceasefire like a scared dog with its tail between its legs”, after India put Pak’s airfields out of commission. l Washington, May 15 (ANI): India’s strikes on Pakistan damaged runways and structures across at least six airfields, according to a visual analysis by ‘The Washington Post’, which, experts said, were the most significant attacks of their kind in decades of simmering conflict between the two nations. A review of over 24 satellite images and aftermath videos found that the strikes heavily damaged three hangers, two runways, and a pair of mobile buildings used by the Pakistan Air Force. Some of the sites hit by India were as deep as 100 miles inside Pakistan. ... EVEN as quotes from American sources and media have been chosen here, the effort is not to seek a validation of what Indians actually achieved in the phase one of “Operation Sindoor”.

 

The purpose is only to demonstrate how hollow the Pakistani propaganda is about its success in inflicting heavy damage to the Indian assets. In other words, the world knows how miserable Pakistan had become within 48 hours of the precision-strikes by Indian Forces in a hi-tech confrontation that left the Pakistani defence brains numb and dumb. Seeking a very urgent ceasefire was the only choice left to the Pakistanis -- which India responded to with only a stoppage of military action (which is no ceasefire, technically). Of course, the world realised the hollowness of the Pakistani propaganda. But those who have watched Pakistan closely also realised that its ruling gentry was worried more about the impression on the country’s domestic population. So, it tried to create an entirely false narrative in an attempt to paint a picture of its victory against India. However, those attempts, too, seemed to have failed as the Pakistani society was fully aware of the reality from the battle-front in the hi-tech war, no matter the attempts to gag the social media by the Pakistani Government.

 

Like a cat sipping milk on the sly with closed eyes, the Pakistani rulers tried to unleash a propaganda based on complete falsehood, but the world was wise enough to know the truth. And then came the images of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi visiting the Adampur Air Force base raising slogans of celebrations, slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’ -- standing against the backdrop of MiG 29 fighter aircraft and S-400 advanced air defence system’s canisters rising high above the ground in the natural Indian pride. The Prime Minister minced no words and told the world that any terrorist or other misadventure with India will lead to a total annihilation of the wrong-doers. His words must have sent ripples of fear through the Pakistani spine (already having become limp). Then came the images of Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh from the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar mingling with soldiers and officers, sharing sweets with them, and demanding an international watch on Pakistan’s nuclear facility against any possible abuse and misuse.

 

The world did not take much to know the truth -- about India’s credibility and Pak’s falsehood. True, propaganda has often played a critical role in human conflict since time immemorial. But that tool has to be used smartly and credibly -- which India did not as its propaganda but as its communication of reality to the world. In terrible contrast, Pakistan did not know how to marshal the propaganda tool in a severely constricted space due to a clear defeat in the hi-tech conflict. The Pakistanis knew that they had lost the battle and the war -- and had to run for cover, and run with the tail between the legs, as the American expert described their condition. Trapped in their own incompetence, the Pakistanis tried to play foolish cards and exposed themselves all the more -- in the eyes of the world and in the eyes of their own people. Of course, theirs is a story of only bragging and lie-telling and pursuing wrong State policies through terrorism and exporting extremism all over the world and indulging in absolute wilfulness in governance and of suppressing freedom struggles of large geographies that it has illegally and wrongfully annexed over decades ... ! In other words, Pakistan’s is a story of a Rogue State ruled by political mafia for generations ... !

 

When such a State is confronted with a State like India with all its policies and principles in right places, then the result is always of defeat. That is what Pakistan has seen in all these decades. In the process, it has pushed itself into a corner from which it cannot emerge unscathed. Yet, it pursues the same script again and again -- of falsehood, shallowness, hollowness -- and eventual defeat. That is why it has always found itself running scared and helter skelter with its tail between its legs -- the latest being under the aegis of India’s hi-tech demo through “Operation Sindoor”.