As I Predicted: Modi Blinked, the War Fizzled, and Nothing Changed

 

As I Predicted: Modi Blinked, the War Fizzled, and Nothing Changed

To everyone who routinely blames Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and every Congress leader since 1947 for not solving Kashmir—take a good look at the present. We now have a prime minister who promised to be different. Decisive. Unflinching. A leader who, as his supporters claim, would rewrite history and settle scores left hanging for generations.

And yet, here we are. One phone call from Donald Trump, and Narendra Modi folded faster than a monsoon umbrella in Shimla.

This was an opportunity. A clear one. The terrorist attack in Pahalgam was brutal, yes—but it exposed a moment of strategic clarity. Pakistan was diplomatically cornered, militarily exposed, and globally friendless. Under the UN resolution itself, the Pakistani military is obligated to vacate POK. India had every legal and moral right to act.

And what did Modi do? He blinked. He accepted a ceasefire that brought no real gain to India—no accountability, no action against terror networks, no return of strategic territory, and not even a symbolic diplomatic win. Israel would’ve scoffed at such a retreat.

This latest so-called “military operation” looked bold in media headlines but quickly unraveled as political theater. The attack in Pahalgam didn’t just happen—it happened because the government failed to protect people in a region it claims to have “integrated.” The central government had years to secure Kashmir after removing Article 370. Yet, terrorists still moved in, operated with logistics, and struck 140 km from the border.

And when the world was watching, the Modi government chose image over outcome.

Instead of striking hard, India inadvertently pushed Pakistan deeper into the embrace of the West and China—two forces that gain the most from a divided subcontinent. A peaceful, cooperative India-Pakistan equation would leave them without leverage, without arms sales, and without excuses to interfere. Modi, willingly or not, played right into their hands.

Let’s not sugarcoat this: Modi is a loudspeaker, not a strategist. His diplomacy is all display, no depth. It’s as if he skipped the story of the two cats and the monkey in school. And yet, here we are living it. Only this time, Trump and Xi are the monkeys—grinning while India and Pakistan fight over crumbs, as the West eats the bread.

After demonstrating that Pakistan was incapable of real retaliation, India had its best window in decades to retake POK—not just as retribution, but as strategic cleanup. But instead of finishing the job, the BJP blinked. Again. So what now? Will they blame Congress for that too?

The reality is this: the Kashmir conflict is too profitable to be solved. Corrupt elites in both India and Pakistan benefit. It distracts from governance, fuels nationalism, and keeps the foreign funding tap open. The West and China benefit, too, by keeping the region just unstable enough to stay relevant.

Meanwhile, the real losers are the people of Kashmir—those who could’ve benefited from peace, not paranoia. If India and Pakistan truly want a future, the path is through diplomacy, not drama. That begins with both sides implementing what they’ve signed onto—like the UN resolution demanding Pakistan vacate POK. A transitional ten-year governance model, followed by a peaceful referendum, is still more realistic than waiting for the next war to fix what

 the last five didn’t.

Until then, bloodshed only helps those watching from a safe distance. And no, this war wasn’t necessary. It was avoidable. It should be investigated. If the Pakistan Army was behind the attack, let it be held accountable under international law. But India’s own failure to protect civilians must be investigated, too. One truth doesn’t erase the other.

And in the end, Modi may very well ask, “Who pushed me into this war?”

The irony is: no one did. He jumped in, hoping for applause. And now, he’s looking for a way out. Because this was never about resolution. It was about optics. It was about narrative control. It was about dodging blame.

And in doing so, India didn’t just lose an opportunity. It increased its vulnerability, deepened geopolitical dependence, and walked away with nothing but hashtags and headlines.