let me articulate how India is building up on the cost to Pakistan..
In the 1990s, when the Kashmir insurgency was at its peak, Pakistan supported militant groups with impunity, and India had no effective response, merely playing catch-up. Then came the 1999 Kargil conflict, where Pakistan infiltrated parts of India but faced no significant cost beyond eventual withdrawal under international pressure. In the 2008 Mumbai attacks, all evidence pointed toward Pakistan and its involvement, yet it faced no immediate military consequences. However, in the long term, India responded strategically between 2008 and 2014—I believe you know what I’m hinting at.
Then came the Modi government, which isn’t playing catch-up but is far more proactive, whether through the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 or the silencing of local Kashmiri dissent. (Have you recently heard of the Hurriyat Conference or other pro-Pakistan actors?)
Modi is now upping the ante, asserting that India will reclaim Pakistan-administered Kashmir and placing full responsibility for any wrongdoing in Kashmir squarely on Pakistan. This marks a clear shift in narrative and approach.
Given the last three incidents—2016 Uri surgical strikes, 2019 Balakot airstrike, and the reported 2025 action—anyone at Pakistan’s GHQ must now consider multiple risks before acting on Kashmir. India has seized the role of initiator in the Kashmir issue, significantly raising the political, military, and economic costs for Pakistan. That is the change.
