Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s stern warning from Bhuj that any Pakistani misadventure in the Sir Creek sector will invite a response strong enough to “change both history and geography” must be understood in the larger context of Pakistan’s unrelenting provocations against India. For seventy-eight years since Independence, Pakistan has consistently chosen confrontation over cooperation, misadventure over reconciliation, and self-defeat over pragmatism. Despite being battered on multiple occasions by India’s armed forces-on the battlefield, in limited wars, and in counter-terror operations-Islamabad seems incapable of learning the lessons of its repeated defeats. The trajectory of Pakistan’s hostility is well known. The wars of 1965 and 1971 are testimony to its folly, with the latter leading to the creation of Bangladesh and the dismemberment of Pakistan itself. Even the Kargil War, where its forces suffered heavy losses and international humiliation, did not deter Islamabad from sponsoring terrorism as a state policy. From the Indian Parliament attack to the Uri assault, from Pulwama to Pahalgam, Pakistan has sought to bleed India through a thousand cuts. Yet, every attempt has been met with firm and often overwhelming responses from New Delhi.
The 2001 Parliament attack forced India to mobilise its entire army on the borders. The Uri terror attack in 2016 was answered with precise surgical strikes. Pulwama in 2019 brought the Balakot air strike, sending a clear signal that India’s tolerance for terrorism had ended. The most recent provocation, the Pahalgam attack, triggered Operation Sindoor in May 2025-a meticulously executed military campaign that inflicted crippling damage on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure and exposed the hollowness of its much-hyped air defence system. Operation Sindoor proved to be a turning point. Pakistan’s airfields, fighter planes, and communications were devastated. Its drones and missiles, supplied by friendly nations like China and Turkey, were rendered largely ineffective by India’s impregnable defences. The result was Pakistan’s worst humiliation in recent years: scrambling to repair destroyed airfields with international grants and pleading for cessation of Indian counterstrikes. The message was unambiguous – India has both the will and the capability to retaliate with devastating precision whenever its sovereignty is challenged.
Yet, despite this bruising experience, Pakistan persists in its futile provocations. Its latest attempt to expand military infrastructure in the Sir Creek sector, a disputed tidal estuary between Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch and Pakistan, is another reckless gamble destined for failure. Singh’s warning rightly captures the futility of such moves: if Pakistan dares to act in Sir Creek, it risks a response that could alter its very existence. The reference to the Indian Army reaching Lahore in 1965 and the road to Karachi passing through Sir Creek in 2025 is not empty rhetoric; it is a reminder of India’s proven ability to strike decisively when provoked.
India has never been the aggressor, as New Delhi’s policy is not to escalate or initiate conflict. But Pakistan’s refusal to learn, its repeated misadventures, and its obsession with India have forced the Indian state to respond each time with increasing strength. Each defeat has further exposed Pakistan’s weaknesses – militarily, diplomatically, and economically – yet its establishment refuses to abandon the self-destructive path of confrontation. What makes Pakistan’s posture even more tragic is its collapsing economic condition. Instead of focusing on uplifting its people, stabilising its economy, or strengthening democracy, it continues to divert scarce resources toward building military infrastructure and fuelling terrorism. The Indian armed forces have demonstrated jointness, preparedness, and overwhelming superiority time and again. Another provocation may well reshape Pakistan’s future in ways its leadership cannot even imagine.
Pakistan must finally recognise a reality it has long resisted: confrontation with India is futile. Every past attempt has left it scarred, weakened, and humiliated. To continue on the same path is to invite disaster yet again. Rajnath Singh’s words are not just a warning; they are a reminder of history and a prediction of what lies ahead if Pakistan persists with its failed policies. The choice is Islamabad’s: pursue peace and stability, or court another defeat that could truly alter its geography and history forever.
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