It has been a year since India chose the cover of darkness to attack six Pakistani towns and villages, killing 36 civilians and triggering an intense, unifying burst of national unity that many would remember as one of Pakistan’s finest hours. Marka?e?Haq was a 72?hour conflict that rekindled memories of 1965, when the country had mobilised as one to defend its sovereignty.
The attacks on Ahmedpur Sharqia, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli were followed by waves of drones and cruise missiles. Islamabad’s response was calibrated, albeit devastating. On May 10, Operation Bunyanum Marsoos hit 26 targets in Indian?occupied Kashmir and mainland India, downed seven Rafale jets, destroyed 84 drones and exposed gaps in India’s vaunted S?400 defences. Indian forces suffered losses estimated at $84?billion, prompting them to seek refuge in a vicious comedy of errors that started from naked propaganda on television screens and ended with Washington shepherding a ceasefire; something New Delhi has yet to explain to its own public.
The Pahalgam tragedy, in which 26 tourists were killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir, should have produced evidence-sharing, restraint and a credible investigation. Instead, the Modi administration turned grief into a military argument before the facts had been tested. India’s media infrastructure was ready at its beck and call, converting wild accusations into hard verdicts and war fever into prime-time theatre. That rush added weight to Pakistan’s position that Delhi had orchestrated a false flag operation to score a clean sweep in local elections. Once hostilities began, India abandoned any pretence of restraint, aiming at mosques, madressahs and water projects. Pakistani strikes, by contrast, remained focused on military targets. By the time Pakistani rockets restored deterrence, India’s attempt to establish a new normal of risk-free aggression lay in ruins.
One year on, the debate must shift from battlefield prowess to the meaning of peace. It goes without saying that nuclear?armed neighbours, facing climate chaos and water scarcity, cannot afford bouts of nationalist adventurism. India’s politics, however, continues to drift in the opposite direction with the BJP’s embrace of Hindutva narrowing the space for diplomacy.
This anniversary should prompt deeper reflection in both countries.
For Pakistan, the war underscored the importance of investing in deterrence, modernising the economy and keeping the political class united. Wars are not won by weapons alone. Morale, cohesion and legitimacy also matter.
As for India, the lesson is much starker: nuclear brinkmanship is not a sustainable strategy, and weaponising tragedy for electoral gain erodes credibility.
Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack showed how quickly a security crisis can be dragged into water, agriculture and civilian vulnerability.
One year after Marka?e?Haq, Pakistan has emerged from the conflict with renewed deterrence, a seat at the diplomatic table and a society reminded of the price of unity. India has gained little besides international scepticism and a deeper entrapment in its own cycle of fleeting illusions. Peace will remain fragile as long as Delhi’s leadership pursues bellicosity and domestic polarisation. *