It was in the year 2023 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that, “I have said directly and indirectly, this is not an era of war but it is one of dialogue and diplomacy and we all must do what we can to stop the bloodshed and human suffering”. This statement was made in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. India and PM Modi maintained this stand on numerous occasions since then till the heinous Pakistan-sponsored Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. As part of Operation Sindoor, India destroyed terror hubs and the military facilities of Pakistan from May 7-10 in a calibrated and measured manner without targeting the civilian population of Pakistan. On the contrary, today, we see that the civilian population is being targeted with impunity in the Israel-Iran war.
On May 10, Pakistan stood shaken with its major airfields destroyed, the air defence system shattered, and virtually, it had lost the radar tracking ability. India also ended the nuclear blackmail of Pakistan by striking their military assets in mainland Punjab. A desperate Pakistan pleaded for a ceasefire, and India, under the leadership of PM Modi, lived up to the stated policy of ‘not an era of war’ and accepted cessation of hostilities with Pakistan as an interim measure. India could have continued the war against Pakistan, but India took a moral stand, having fully achieved the military objectives of Operation Sindoor till then. But India maintained that Operation Sindoor still continues as the war against terrorists and the country that sponsors terrorism.
On May 12, PM Modi addressed the nation after a pause in Operation Sindoor and reiterated that “this is not an era of war but this is also not an era of terror.” PM Modi said that Operation Sindoor marks a decisive shift in India’s ‘new normal’ against terrorism and outlines offensive counter-terrorism measures. PM Modi further amplified that India hereafter will not make any distinction between the terrorists and the country that supports them. In the first phase of Operation Sindoor, India thus temporarily suspended military operations against Pakistan in the spirit of not an era of war. But at the same time, India gave a clear message to Pakistan that it reserves the right to make precision strikes against any terror hub that operates from its soil.
India has never followed an expansionist policy after independence. India believes in safeguarding its territorial integrity and doesn’t lay claim on the territory of any other country. Among the major powers of the world in the last century, India is the only country that has strongly followed this policy. India has faced aggression in the form of war and conflict in the years 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil war. India also faced aggression from China in the 1962 war. Yet India stood firm in its commitment and has never initiated a war. Contrast this with any major power today, such as USA, Russia, UK, France, Germany, China, etc., and all of them have followed expansionist policy sometime or other. It is only India, therefore, that has the moral right to proclaim that this is not an era of war.
As regards terrorism, it emerged as the most powerful tool to take on the high and mighty. While terrorism in some form or another existed in the latter half of the 20th century, terrorism assumed its most threatening form from the beginning of the 21st century. The world’s most powerful nation, the USA, suffered its biggest terror strike on 9/11 in the year 2001. Thereafter, the world has witnessed the bloodiest era of terrorism in the first quarter of the 21st century. Be it al-Qaida, Taliban, ISIS, LTTE, Boko Haram, Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, Jaish e Mohamed, Lashkar e Taiba, etc., all the terrorist organisations have found a type of legitimacy in the garb of being freedom fighters. Today, it is virtually impossible to find a nation where the threat of terrorism, even in the form of a lone wolf, does not exist. It is well known that India has been a major victim of terrorism since independence.
In my opinion, the first half of the year 2025 has seen one of the worst conflict situations in contemporary history. The last 10-11 days of the war between Israel and Iran can have catastrophic consequences for humanity. With the US having joined the war by targeting the three nuclear facilities of Iran, the world is gravitating towards a more violent Middle East. More major powers like Russia and China may join the conflict and the future scenario looks grim. Even the UN Security Council resolution to de-escalate has no moral authority because the P-5 nations, like USA, Russia and China, have a biased approach to the conflict.
The solution to an increasingly conflict-ridden world lies in the collective responsibility of the leaders and organisations who have the credibility to de-escalate and bring an end to wars and war-like situations. Prime Minister Modi has already spoken to the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But collective pressure has to be built through major global leaders, business tycoons, and groupings like the EU, ASEAN, G-20, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, etc. Major religious and spiritual leaders should also call for de-escalation. Social media can also build an opinion against war and terrorism. I would even urge the Norwegian Nobel Committee which awards the Nobel Peace Prize to chip in with their appeal for global peace.
In an era where the institutions responsible for maintaining peace and ensuring world order are failing, the only way out is the collective voice of the people. This is the time to have as many meetings, close-door interactions, Track II diplomacy and dialogue at multiple levels. There should be visible global protests in as many countries as feasible. I strongly recommend that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi should take the lead in ushering de-escalation, ceasefire, cessation of hostilities and preventing terror attacks in the next six months of the year 2025. Let the world unite in thoughts and action to give sustainable peace a chance in the next six months. Those who work towards ushering global peace at this critical juncture are deemed winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
