It is both troubling and telling that in the heat of an election campaign, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to resort to inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan to whip up nationalist sentiment. His recent remarks at a rally in Bihar – where he warned that Operation Sindoor was “just an arrow” in India’s “quiver” – mark a new low in regional statesmanship. This language is not only provocative, but dangerously reckless, coming as it does from the leader of a nuclear-armed state. Unfortunately, such belligerence is not an anomaly for Modi. At another campaign stop in Gujarat, he went so far as to threaten the people of Pakistan directly, saying they can “live peacefully and eat your bread, or else my bullet is ready”. This kind of rhetoric is unbecoming of any democratic leader, let alone one who presides over one of the world’s largest democracies. But then again, India has preferred hostility over peace over the past decade at least.
Pakistan was right to condemn these remarks as reflective of a mindset that prioritises conflict over regional harmony. In the past months, it has been Pakistan that has consistently called for impartial international investigations and de-escalation, even in the face of aggression. The Modi government, by contrast, has not only stoked tensions but appears to have fabricated a narrative of victory in Operation Sindoor – a campaign that has been thoroughly discredited by international media, the diplomatic community, and, notably, India’s own opposition parties and military leaders. The cracks in Modi’s façade of triumph are growing. In a revealing interview with Bloomberg, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted that India lost several fighter jets during the confrontation with Pakistan. This disclosure directly contradicts the triumphant tone Modi has adopted on the campaign trail. The Indian opposition has responded with outrage, demanding a special parliamentary session and accusing the government of misleading the public. This is no minor political scuffle but a damning indictment of Modi’s strategy to leverage national security for political gain.
Further undermining Modi’s claims of military superiority, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has criticised the country’s sluggish defence manufacturing system and publicly acknowledged weaknesses in India’s air defence apparatus. These admissions, coming on the heels of a failed military operation, reinforce the argument that Modi’s hawkish rhetoric is aimed more at salvaging his image than securing regional peace. Perhaps most tellingly, General Chauhan also clarified that the four-day conflict “never escalated to the point of nuclear war", emphasising that “there’s a lot of space before that nuclear threshold is crossed.” His comments are a rather obvious reminder of the high stakes involved. For all of Modi’s talk of quivers and arrows, the reality is that a military conflagration between two nuclear-armed nations would be catastrophic – for the world. Modi’s war-mongering may play well to his base but is a dangerous distraction from the real issues: Occupied Kashmir, water disputes, etc. These are matters that demand sober dialogue, not theatrical sabre-rattling. At a time when the region needs de-escalation and diplomacy, India’s ruling party is sowing division for electoral gains. The path forward is not paved with jingoistic slogans or blood-soaked campaign speeches. Here’s a fact: Pakistan has shown maturity and restraint. It is time for India – and Modi – to finally do the same.