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India’s strength as a democracy shines through its unity and resolve, especially when compared to Pakistan’s fractured system.
India’s strength as a democracy shines through its unity and resolve, especially when compared to Pakistan’s fractured system. In Islamabad, opposition leaders rot in jails, and the government takes orders from an army that’s losing public support. In contrast, New Delhi operates like a true democracy. After the recent Pehlgaum terror attack, India’s leaders—government and opposition—united, showcasing a rare political consensus. This unity ensures everyone speaks with one voice, giving the government confidence to act boldly and boosting the morale of the armed forces. Unlike Pakistan, where division weakens the state, India’s solidarity is a powerful weapon.
The Indian Air Force is sending a clear message with Exercise Akraman, meaning “attack.” Launched days after the Pehlgaum attack, as Pakistan escalates ceasefire violations, this drill prepares for high-intensity conflict. Rafale and Su-30 jets dominate the skies, practicing precision strikes, air dominance, and long-range missions in mountainous regions. The goal is to simulate real-time warfare, signaling India’s shift to offensive mode. These drills echo the 2019 Balakot airstrike, when Mirage 2000 jets bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps inside Pakistan, retaliating for the Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian soldiers. That 21-minute mission shattered Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail and proved India’s readiness to strike terror at its source.
Since Balakot, India’s military has undergone a massive overhaul. The defense budget has jumped 82%, from $42 billion to $75 billion. The Air Force now wields Rafale jets armed with Meteor air-to-air missiles, hitting targets 150 kilometers away, and Scalp air-to-ground missiles, striking 500 kilometers deep. Su-30 jets carry the indigenous Astra missile and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, boasting 99.99% accuracy. Apache attack helicopters, with 22 currently operational and six more expected, add firepower. The S-400 air defense system, fully deployed, can neutralize threats 400 kilometers away, covering every Pakistani airbase. Satellites, drones, and upgraded airbases have sharpened India’s surveillance and logistics.
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Pakistan, meanwhile, fuels terrorism despite its collapsing economy. With 41 terror groups active, funded through front companies, hawala networks, and cryptocurrency, Pakistan’s terror infrastructure thrives. Front companies, like Al Qaeda’s Wadi al Aqiq or Taba Investments, masquerade as legitimate businesses to funnel money. Hawala, an untraceable cash transfer system, moves black money across borders, bankrolling groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed. Even digital platforms like Binance and Monero are exploited by groups like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Pakistan’s ISI, its notorious spy agency, orchestrates this shadow network, ensuring terror groups survive sanctions.
Pakistan’s leaders brazenly defend this ecosystem. After the Pehlgaum attack, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called the terrorists “freedom fighters,” while Defense Minister Khwaja Asif claimed India staged the attack to create a crisis. Asif even admitted Pakistan’s three-decade role in terrorism, blaming the West for using Pakistan as a proxy. This mask-slipping reveals Pakistan’s strategy: fund terror, deny responsibility, and spin conspiracies. The National Security Council’s tit-for-tat response, rather than condemning the attack, further exposes Pakistan’s complicity.
India is fighting back on multiple fronts. Militarily, it’s ready with modernized forces and a doctrine of offense as the best defense. Diplomatically, India is exposing Pakistan’s murky finances, pushing for scrutiny at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Though Pakistan escaped FATF’s gray list with help from China and Turkey, India must renew efforts to spotlight its terror funding. On the ground, India has expelled Pakistani nationals, giving them 48 hours to leave, and canceled SAARC visa exemptions. Pakistan retaliated by closing its airspace to Indian flights, a move that cost Indian airlines ₹700 crore in 2019. This closure forces longer routes, raising fuel costs and flight times, while foreign carriers gain a competitive edge.
The world’s response, however, is maddeningly tepid. The United Nations urges “maximum restraint” on India, the victim, ignoring Pakistan’s terror sponsorship. This pattern—seen in the 1965 and 1971 wars—continues because both nations are nuclear powers, prompting calls for de-escalation. The United States, despite giving Pakistan $73 billion from 1960 to 2002 and $19 billion from 2002 to 2010, feigns surprise when Pakistan harbors terrorists like Osama bin Laden or backs the Taliban. Even in 2025, U.S. aid, like a $400 million package for fighter jets, keeps flowing. This hypocrisy enables Pakistan’s rogue behavior.
The global community must act. First, stop lecturing India, which is doing the world a favor by confronting terror. Second, cut Pakistan’s funding—no more bailouts or aid. Pakistan’s 24 IMF rescues, the highest ever, enrich generals, not citizens. Third, address Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. An unstable state with militants on its doorstep risks global catastrophe if its nukes fall into the wrong hands. Unlike North Korea or Iran, Pakistan faces no pressure to disarm, exposing double standards.
India’s mindset has shifted since Balakot. With a 174% rise in weapons manufacturing, upgraded infrastructure, and political will, India is ready to strike terrorism at its roots. The world must catch up, hold Pakistan accountable, and recognize that terrorism isn’t freedom—it’s bloodshed. Pakistan’s tired playbook of denial and deflection is crumbling, and India’s united front, modernized military, and relentless resolve ensure it’s prepared to respond on its terms.
(The author Girish Linganna of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)
