Understanding the naysayers on Balakot

All those who question the Balakot airstrikes need to come to terms with the reality that an assertive new India will stand its ground and play by its own rules

The aftershocks from the Balakot airstrikes continue to reverberate across the global media. A clinical analysis of the reportage, commentary and related conversations on social media reveal a concerted campaign to dis-inform and discredit, but more importantly, to re-hyphenate Pakistan with an assertive India. From state media in the extended neighbourhood to global news wire agencies, and from reputed international newspapers to social media celebrities, the past few weeks have seen efforts to reduce the punitive strikes to a spectator sport where somehow the scores are even.

Why this eagerness to re-hyphenate? The answer lies in the fact that the punitive