India’s escalating war hysteria is not a defensive maneuver-it is a smokescreen to conceal her aggressive demographic re-engineering in IIOJK. Behind the fiery rhetoric of nationalism and anti-terrorism lies a brutal campaign of land seizures, bulldozed homes and the silent erasure of Kashmiri identity. Entire infrastructure is being flattened under the guise of ‘counterterrorism operations,’ only to pave the way for settlements, luxury hotels and even casinos-symbols not of security, but of colonial entitlement. This is not counterterrorism. This is demographic conquest. The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is part of a carefully orchestrated stage play, designed to justify the unjustifiable. India paints herself as the perpetual victim of cross-border terrorism while simultaneously labeling Pakistan as the mastermind of regional instability. Yet, the reality on the ground tells a different story-one in which Kashmiris are stripped of their rightful rights, their homes and their history. The aim is clear: delegitimize the Kashmiri resistance, discredit CPEC and isolate Pakistan diplomatically by branding her a state sponsor of terror. After failing to destabilize Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through proxy warfare, India has now turned inward to reshape the narrative. Playing the victim in Kashmir allows her to repackage her expansionist ambitions as self-defence. But the truth is, India’s war strategy is not just about military posturing-it is about narrative warfare, regional hegemony and political obfuscation. The revocation of Article 370 was not just a constitutional betrayal-it marked the beginning of an experimental model of ethnic cleansing. Bulldozed homes, arbitrary arrests and constant surveillance have turned the valley into a dystopian lab. The West (always quick to preach human rights) chooses silence in such times-its so-called moral compass buried under layers of geopolitical interests. The world watches, complicit, as India transforms one of the most contested regions on earth into a zone of silent suffering. India paints herself as the perpetual victim of cross-border terrorism while simultaneously labeling Pakistan as the mastermind of regional instability. The Indo-Pacific alliance has emboldened India, not as a sovereign partner in a shared democratic vision, but as a custodian of Western interests in Asia. In doing so, South Asia is being thrust into a new Cold War-one where India’s aggression is not just tolerated, but encouraged. Under this umbrella of strategic alignment, India is playing a dangerous game: one of nuclear brinkmanship, provocation and denial. India’s military strategy thrives on exploiting traditional gaps in warfare, but Pakistan’s doctrine of full-spectrum deterrence has consistently blocked New Delhi’s attempts to impose military dominance. Frustrated and exposed, India is now resorting to covert operations, media manipulation and psychological warfare. Her arsenal now includes not just weapons, but a 3-D narrative-to deceive, distract and deflect. India’s unilateral withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty is another alarming step toward outright aggression. Such a blatant move not only violates international norms but also sets a dangerous precedent for other regional powers. Balakot was a painful wake-up call for India. Its delusions of air superiority were shattered by Pakistan’s calibrated and resolute response. Not only did Pakistan demonstrate strategic maturity, it exposed the hollowness of India’s military bravado. It was not a moment of triumph for New Delhi, but a sobering glimpse into the limits of its aggression. Even as India plays the victim on international platforms, it actively fuels insurgency in neighboring regions. It shelters, funds and weaponizes groups like TTP and BLA-sowing the seeds of regional instability while accusing others of doing the same. This duplicity lies at the heart of India’s foreign policy: cry wolf abroad, hunt in the shadows at home. And what allows all of this to continue? The West’s silence. The same powers that bomb nations for ‘human rights violations’ have already turned a blind eye to Israeli atrocities and genocide in Gaza and now towards India’s transgressions. India’s war hysteria is not just dangerous-it is genocidal just like her barbaric terrorist friend Israel. And if this hysteria left unchecked, it could drag the entire region into a chaos from which no one will emerge unscathed. The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar & a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad. He can be reached at fa7263125@gmail.com.