When Resolve Meets Provocation

For once the sound of drones overhead, cracking sounds of anti-aircraft guns and bangs of explosives falling from the sky seem to have subsided, thanks to a much-needed intervention by US and other well-wishers. Pakistan and India have been at odds since independence but never before the escalation took such a ferocious and dangerous turn wrapped in an absolute unpredictability and mystery. The crisis that unfolded was not spontaneous, it was manufactured and orchestrated under the guise of mindless killing of innocent tourists at Pahalgam, a despotic and condemnable event whoever did it. The so-called “terrorist attack” was, from the outset, shrouded in ambiguity. Without any shroud of evidence, the Indian government, driven by a design to deflect domestic failures and paint Pakistan as the perennial villain, declared it an act of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan as its abettor.

Pakistan called for reason, proposed a joint investigation, but India, as always, declined. Because the truth was never its objective, the blame was. What followed was a non-textbook escalation, reckless and extremely dangerous. On the night of May 6/7 Indian jets struck what they claimed were “militant hideouts.” In reality, they targeted peaceful places of worship, killing civilians in cold blood. In an immediate response Indian Air Force lost 5 of its most advanced aircraft in that raid, the façade of invincibility began to crack. Pakistan suffered but it did not retaliate blindly giving sanity and diplomacy a chance. Yet, India misread restraint as weakness. But instead of dialing down, New Delhi turned to swarms of killer drones that rained across Pakistan’s heartland, sowing mayhem and terror in cities and towns. The aim was clear: provoke Pakistan into overreaction, but yet again Islamabad held the line.

Then came the crossing the rubicon when India launched missiles at three of Pakistan’s frontline airbases. That was no longer provocation, it was a blatant act of war. Like any self-respecting nation determined to safeguard its sovereignty, Pakistan responded not emotionally, but decisively. Precision strikes, tactical brilliance, and overwhelming retaliation forced the world to take notice. Western capitals that had remained conveniently silent suddenly found their voices, diplomats scrambled and mediation offers poured in. Pakistan had proved one thing: it was not a passive player it was a nation of resolve. The ferocity of relentless yet calculated offensive directed towards Indian military might avoiding civilian collateral losses, enticed US and other powers to broker a cease fire. Fragile, but for the time being a cease fire.

Pakistan called for reason, proposed a joint investigation, but India, as always, declined.

During all this mayhem, while the air battle raged and soldiers defended the land, one force worked in silence, the Pakistan Navy. Outnumbered, definitely, outmatched on paper, maybe, but in reality, the silent spearhead of Pakistan’s deterrence. As India’s grand naval armada flexed its muscles in the open seas, heralding the deployment of carrier group in North Arabian Sea hoping to project power and cause intimidation. Contrary to that Pakistan Navy executed a different strategy predicated on offensive deployments and forward presence.

The assertiveness and perpetual state of operational preparedness forced the Indian Navy to stay out, far out, of Pakistan’s waters about 400 nautical miles from Pakistani shores. No blockades, no interdictions, no amphibious assaults nothing happened. A superior fleet of two carriers, two dozen submarines including two SSBNs, thirty plus destroyers and frigates and an enormous fleet of P8Is unwilling and unable to come close. Not a single Indian ship came within striking distance. That was not luck, that was skill, that was deterrence in motion. Pakistan’s maritime arteries remained protected, trade routes were secured, strategic assets defended, and sea lines of communication uninterrupted. The Navy did more than just hold the line, it sent a clear message that we are present, prepared and potent. An Indian P8I reconnaissance aircraft was detected operating deep in international waters. It never crossed the line, because it knew it was detected, tracked and definitely locked. That awareness alone kept India’s navy on the defensive. With nothing at hand, the jingoistic Indian media resorted to desperate propaganda claiming strikes on Karachi virtually destroying Karachi port and celebrating fictional naval victories with digitally altered footage. They achieved nothing but discrediting themselves, home and abroad.

What this crisis revealed was not just the madness of Indian adventurism but the reciprocation of Pakistan’s preparedness. A nation pushed into conflict did not collapse into chaos. It responded with patience, purpose, and precision. Its military on all fronts of land, air and sea displayed a command of the battlespace that reshaped perceptions. Pakistan did not seek escalation, but instead met every challenge with strength and decisiveness. It did not initiate conflict, but it did not flinch and knew how to end it on its own terms. The world watched, perhaps expecting recklessness and a rouge declaration of nuclear threats. What it saw instead was restraint, responsibility and ultimately resolve to defend itself irrespective of the size of its enemy.

In years to come, in text book of Pakistan Studies at schools, the May 2025 crisis will be made part of curriculum and remembered not for how it began, but for how it was met. A few attributes would surely be etched in bold: bravery, clarity, and the courage to act without losing reason. It would not just be a story of a five day war, it would be narrated as a reflection of strong resolve stood against and neutralized an unwarranted provocation.

The writer is a PhD scholar of International Relations at the University of Lahore and can be reached at ehsanahmedkhan471@gmail.com