Balakot: India's strategic restraint has given way to 'assured retaliation'

It has demonstrated its resolve to punish cross-border terror attacks and must now focus on the alienation in Kashmir

The captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot is back home, cross-border firing on the Line of Control (LoC) is reducing and India’s military has publicly “committed to maintaining peace and stability in the region”. We can assume this crisis is winding down, although another attack like the one at Pulwama on February 14 could trigger fresh cross-border violence. It is, therefore, worth taking a step back to examine how, and where, the strategic terrain has shifted as a result of India’s pre-emptive strikes. At the same time, we must take careful note of what remains unchanged.

First, a seismic shift