India-Pakistan agreement: Pause disappoints hardliners, others say it's a win for India

NEW DELHI: When India struck terror facilities hard in Pakistan on Wednesday, for many the act underlined the govt's seriousness of response to the heinous Pahalgam massacre on April 22. Since then, as the Army continued to display the same intensity of intent, both in its offensive and defensive manoeuvres, the public mood on social media platforms largely favoured a military action strong enough to guarantee a deterrent both for terrorists and their handlers.

In this prevailing ambience, the Saturday announcement that pauses the raging conflict has been lauded by some but also seen by others as letting Pakistan off the hook. Foreign affairs analyst Brahma Chellaney wondered on X, "Does this mean that Prime Minister Modi has decided not to take 'Operation Sindoor' to its logical conclusion by ending, once and for all, the Pakistani military generals' four-decade-long strategy of waging a 'war of a thousand cuts' against India through terrorist proxies?"

In a detailed post issued shortly later, he said, "Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory has long been an Indian political tradition", and gave examples of India erring in similar fashion against both China and Pakistan over the decades.

Chellaney said that India agreed to a ceasefire against Pakistan in 1948 when the Army was marching toward victory. Again, in 1972, at Shimla, India gave away its 1971 "war gains at the negotiating table without securing anything in return from Pakistan."

True Indology, a pro-right handle with over 330,000 followers, blamed the US for allegedly denying India the triumph it deserved. "A very well-deserved victory of the Indian army has been neutralized by cheap US politics. Ultimately, Pakistan will continue to exist. It is only a matter of time before Pakistan launches terror attacks into India. This is very disappointing as all our sacrifices resulted in nothing once again. Not an inch of the land illegally occupied by Pakistan has been gained. The dagger to stab India's back has been protected once more."

However, columnist Amrita Bhinder, whose followers include PM Modi, read the announcement as an "inking" of India's stance. "New beginnings. War can be won in so many different ways. The 'right wing' guys (Trump-Modi) have shifted the war from bloodshed to trade. Money talks. India gets to grow economically. Pakistan has to worry about water."

Rishi Bagree, who has nearly five lakh followers on X and has been backing the govt during the conflict, listed what he felt were India's gains. "1. Took revenge of (sic) Pahalgam by hitting 24 terror targets deep inside Pakistan. 2. Destroyed (sic) their 7 Air bases 3. Status Quo on the Indus water treaty will continue, with India sharing NO data and will continue to construct New dams on the Rivers. 4. The USA has accepted India's new War doctrine - Any act of terror by a non-state actor will be viewed as an act of war by India and will attract full retaliation," he posted.