Escalation Dominance Backfires: A Personal Account of the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict
On May 6, 2025, India initiated Operation Sindoor , targeting nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This was presented as a measured response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. India emphasized the precision and non-escalatory nature of these strikes. However, the reality on the ground told a different story. The Human Cost: A Personal Account Among the targeted areas was Bahawalpur , where a missile strike near a mosque resulted in the death of a child and injuries to two others. The attack caused widespread emergency, prompting Bahawal Victoria Hospital to call in all available medical personnel. However, knowing people, quite a few were in a casual mood; there wasn't any panic. This tragedy hit close to home. My mother-in-law resides in Bahawalpur, and the proximity of the missile strike caused immense distress. My wife, living with me in Adelaide, was deeply upset, worrying about relatives back home. Due to the fluidity of th...