Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori
The recent four-day armed conflict between Pakistan and India in May 2025 stands as a defining moment in South Asian strategic history, reshaping the balance of power in the region and exposing the unambiguous contrast in professionalism, discipline, and maturity between the two countries’ institutions. The Pakistan Armed Forces, supported by an agile intelligence apparatus and a composed media strategy, demonstrated a level of operational coherence and strategic restraint that not only safeguarded national sovereignty but also enhanced Pakistan’s image as a credible and responsible regional power.
The conduct of Pakistan’s defense forces was marked by meticulous planning, precision in execution, and a readiness to respond proportionally to Indian aggression while avoiding escalation beyond the necessary threshold. This careful calibration denied India the opportunity to frame the narrative as one of unilateral dominance and instead projected Pakistan as a state capable of defending its interests with both resolve and prudence.
The professionalism displayed was not confined to the battlefield alone. The coordinated role of Pakistan’s media in countering disinformation, resisting the temptation to sensationalize events, and instead presenting verified facts reinforced the credibility of the national narrative. The intelligence agencies played a vital role in pre-empting enemy maneuvers, safeguarding critical infrastructure, and ensuring that strategic assets remained fully functional despite hostile attempts to degrade them.
At the same time, the Pakistani public’s unity, discipline, and calm rejection of provocative propaganda reflected a nation mature in its political consciousness, unwilling to be manipulated into hysteria. This unified national front projected Pakistan as a strong, composed, and modern power, effectively challenging the Indian establishment’s long-nurtured claim to sole leadership in the region.
The conflict also revealed a profound miscalculation on the part of the Narendra Modi government. Operating under the flawed assumption that Pakistan’s military capability was inferior and its political resolve fragmented, New Delhi initiated a course of action that underestimated both Pakistan’s readiness and its capacity to respond with strategic sophistication. This delusion of the regional security equation exposed the Indian leadership’s overconfidence and its detachment from the evolving realities of South Asia’s defense dynamics.
Prime Minister Modi’s failure to grasp the depth of Pakistan’s capabilities has, in retrospect, weakened his image domestically and internationally. The perception that he could intimidate Pakistan militarily to reinforce his political standing has backfired, instead consolidating Pakistan’s stature as a formidable and disciplined force in the region.
The political context in which Modi approached this conflict has further compounded his vulnerability. Having secured a controversial third term through an election widely criticized for alleged rigging, manipulation of electoral processes, and misuse of state institutions, Modi’s mandate is already viewed with suspicion by opposition forces and independent observers. His dependence on coalition partners to maintain a parliamentary majority has diluted his ability to act decisively without political compromise, eroding the image of a leader in absolute control. The erosion of public trust is reflected in growing dissatisfaction over governance, rising economic pressures, and the perception that national resources are being exploited for partisan political gain.
The allegations of corruption that have shadowed Modi’s tenure since 2014 remain an unaddressed stain on his administration. From questionable defense procurement deals to opaque infrastructure contracts and allegations of crony capitalism benefiting select corporate allies, the narrative of clean governance has been consistently undermined by credible accusations. The persistence of these allegations over more than a decade has made it increasingly difficult for Modi to rely solely on rhetoric to retain the confidence of an increasingly skeptical electorate.
In this climate of political fragility, Modi has consistently fallen back on a strategy of controlled media narratives, exaggerated claims, and disinformation campaigns to maintain an aura of invincibility. The use of state-influenced media to project inflated military successes, suppress inconvenient facts, and discredit dissent has become a defining characteristic of his leadership.
The catalogue of misleading claims is extensive and well-documented. The failure of demonetization to eliminate black money despite being justified as a transformative measure, the overstating of COVID relief as a 10 percent of GDP fiscal stimulus when it was far smaller. The repeated portrayal of Jammu & Kashmir as “normal” despite extensive rights restrictions and the inflation of casualty and damage figures in cross-border military operations without independent verification.
The pattern of disinformation reached a new crescendo in the aftermath of the May 2025 conflict. Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh’s claim that Operation Sindoor resulted in the shooting down of six Pakistani aircraft, including five fighter jets and a high-value surveillance platform, fits squarely into this tradition of unsubstantiated triumphalism.
Amar Preet Singh spoke of destroyed command and control centers, radars, air defense systems, and aircraft hangars in various Pakistani cities, presenting satellite imagery and intelligence reports as supposed proof. Yet, independent assessments and international military analysts have found no verifiable evidence to support these claims, while Pakistan’s own operational record during the conflict indicates the exact opposite.
Pakistani forces successfully downed more than five Indian aircraft, inflicted substantial damage on India’s air defense systems, and neutralized multiple offensive positions without sustaining losses on the scale claimed by the Indian side. This deliberate inflation of operational success echoes the post-Balakot disinformation episode of 2019, highlighting an enduring tendency to rely on narrative construction rather than verifiable results.
The immaturity of initiating hostilities without a clear understanding of Pakistan’s capabilities was further compounded by India’s handling of international responses. New Delhi’s public admonishment and thinly veiled diplomatic snubs towards countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, China, and even the United States for not endorsing its position revealed a fragile ego at the heart of its foreign policy. This behavior not only strained relations with key global players but also exposed the limitations of India’s assumed status as a rising global power.
The superiority complex that has long influenced India’s approach to diplomacy is increasingly being challenged by the reality that the world now views its behavior through the lens of instability and immaturity rather than leadership and stability.
The cumulative effect of these developments is a recalibration of how India is perceived both regionally and globally. The conflict has stripped away much of the veneer of strategic invincibility cultivated by the Modi government, revealing a nation whose power projection is increasingly undermined by political fragility, economic challenges, and a reliance on information manipulation.
The May 2025 limited war did not just test military capacity, it tested political credibility, diplomatic maturity, and the ability to sustain a coherent national strategy under pressure. By these measures, Pakistan emerged strengthened, while India’s image took a significant hit.
The reality that both nations must confront is that perpetual hostility serves neither their long-term strategic interests nor their aspirations for economic growth and regional influence. The natural and ultimate business and cultural partner for India is Pakistan, and vice versa. The sooner this is acknowledged, the better it would be for both countries to redirect their immense human, economic, and creative resources towards mutual prosperity rather than mutual attrition.
Economic integration could unleash unprecedented growth, creating a market of nearly 1.6 billion people with complementary industrial capacities, vast agricultural potential, and synergistic technological ambitions. Cultural exchange would not only deepen mutual understanding but also leverage the shared history, languages, and traditions that bind the peoples of the subcontinent far more deeply than the divisions imposed by politics.
The way forward to this partnership requires leadership in both capitals capable of moving beyond the politics of confrontation and embracing the politics of cooperation. This means creating structured dialogues insulated from electoral cycles, building trust through incremental confidence-building measures, and engaging in transparent, verifiable agreements on trade, security, and cultural exchange. For India, this would require shedding the superiority complex and acknowledging Pakistan as an equal stakeholder in regional stability. For Pakistan, it would mean leveraging its demonstrated strategic maturity to lead by example in setting the tone for constructive engagement.
The conflict of May 2025 has revealed that in a direct contest of capability and composure, Pakistan can not only withstand pressure but can also redefine the strategic power of South Asia. The challenge now is to translate that resilience into a long-term vision that prioritizes development, cooperation, and the collective uplift of the region’s people. The ultimate victory for both Pakistan and India will not be measured in aircraft shot down or positions captured but, in the prosperity, they can jointly create when they finally choose partnership over provocation.
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Dr. Ikramul Haq, Advocate Supreme Court, specializes in constitutional, corporate, media, ML/CFT related laws, IT, intellectual property, arbitration and international tax laws. He holds LLD in tax laws with specialization in transfer pricing. He was full-time journalist from 1979 to 1984 with Viewpoint and Dawn. He served Civil Services of Pakistan from 1984 to 1996. He established Huzaima & Ikram in 1996 and is presently its chief partner. He studied journalism, English literature and law.
He is Chief Editor of Taxation. He is country editor and correspondent of International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) and member of International Fiscal Association (IFA). He is Visiting Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and member Advisory Board and Visiting Senior Fellow of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).
He has coauthored with Huzaima Bukhari many books that include Tax Reforms in Pakistan: Historic & Critical Review, Towards Flat, Low-rate, Broad and Predictable Taxes (revised & Expanded Edition, Pakistan: Enigma of Taxation, Towards Flat, Low-rate, Broad and Predictable Taxes (revised/enlarged edition of December 2020), Law & Practice of Income Tax, Law , Practice of Sales Tax, Law and Practice of Corporate Law, Law & Practice of Federal Excise, Law & Practice of Sales Tax on Services, Federal Tax Laws of Pakistan, Provincial Tax Laws, Practical Handbook of Income Tax, Tax Laws of Pakistan, Principles of Income Tax with Glossary and Master Tax Guide, Income Tax Digest 1886-2011 (with judicial analysis).
He is author of Commentary on Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreements, Pakistan: From Hash to Heroin, its sequel Pakistan: Drug-trap to Debt-trap and Practical Handbook of Income Tax. Two books of poetry are Phull Kikkaran De (Punjabi 2023) and Nai Ufaq (Urdu 1979 with Siraj Munir and Shahid Jamal).
He regularly writes columns/article/papers for many Pakistani newspapers and international journals and has contributed over 2500 articles on a variety of issues of public interest, printed in various journals, magazines and newspapers at home and abroad.
X (formerly Twitter): DrIkramulHaq
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Abdul Rauf Shakoori, Advocate High Court, is a subject-matter expert on AML-CFT, Compliance, Cyber Crime and Risk Management. He has been providing AML-CFT advisory and training services to financial institutions (banks, DNFBPs, Investment companies, Money Service Businesses, insurance companies and securities), government institutions including law enforcement agencies located in North America (USA & CANADA), Middle East and Pakistan. His areas of expertise include legal, strategic planning, cross border transactions including but not limited to joint ventures (JVs), mergers & acquisitions (M&A), takeovers, privatizations, overseas expansions, USA Patriot Act, Banking Secrecy Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Over his career he has demonstrated excellent leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills and have also developed and delivered training courses in the areas of AML/CFT, Compliance, Fraud & Financial Crime Risk Management, Bank Secrecy, Cyber Crimes & Internet Threats against Banks, E–Channels Fraud Prevention, Security and Investigation of Financial Crimes. The courses have been delivered as practical workshops with case study driven scenarios and exams to insure knowledge transfer.
His notable publications are: Rauf’s Compilation of Corporate Laws of Pakistan, Rauf’s Company Law and Practice of Pakistan and Rauf’s Research on Labour Laws and Income Tax and others.
His articles include: Revenue collection: Contemporary targets vs. orthodox approach, It is time to say goodbye to our past, US double standards, Was Due Process Flouted While Convicting Nawaz Sharif?, FATF and unjustly grey listed Pakistan, Corruption is no excuse for Incompetence, Next step for Pakistan, Pakistan’s compliance with FATF mandates, a work in progress, Pakistan’s strategy to address FATF Mandates was Inadequate, Pakistan’s Evolving FATF Compliance, Transparency Curtails Corruption, Pakistan’s Long Road towards FATF Compliance, Pakistan’s Archaic Approach to Addressing FATF Mandates, FATF: Challenges for June deadline, Pakistan: Combating the illicit flow of money, Regulating Crypto: An uphill task for Pakistan. Pakistan’s economy – Chicanery of numbers. Pakistan: Reclaiming its space on FATF whitelist. Sacred Games: Kulbhushan Jadhav Case. National FATF secretariat and Financial Monitoring Unit. The FATF challenge. Pakistan: Crucial FATF hearing. Pakistan: Dissecting FATF Failure, Environmental crimes: An emerging challenge, Countering corrupt practices .
X (formerly Twitter): Adbul Rauf Shakoori
The recent publication, coauthored by these writes with Huzaima Bukhari is
Pakistan Tackling FATF: Challenges & Solutions, available at:
https://aacp.com.pk/book-detail/pakistan-tackling-fatf-challenges-and-solutions-35
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RXH8W46