On Saturday, 17th May 2025, Rabita Forum International (RFI) hosted a high-profile seminar titled “Bunyan Num Marsoos: Understanding Its Long Shadow over the Region”, where leading scholars, diplomats, and defence analysts gathered to reflect on Pakistan’s successful response to India’s recent military operation.
Chairman of Rabita Forum International, Nusrat Mirza, stated that India’s Operation Sindoor was effectively dismantled and turned into Operation Widhwa by Pakistan’s defense forces. According to Mirza, Pakistan’s air force outmaneuvered and outgunned India, destroying advanced Rafale jets and key military targets across Indian-held territory.
“Our air force proved 20 years ahead in capability. India’s miscalculation became our moment of dominance,” he said, adding that Pakistani forces targeted 26 critical installations from Srinagar to Rajasthan including airbases, missile depots, and brigade headquarters. “We didn’t just defend; we overwhelmed.” “India thought Pakistan was too divided politically to respond but they were wrong,” said Prof. Dr. Talat Wizarat, a senior foreign affairs analyst. “Not only did India fail militarily, it failed to gain any meaningful diplomatic support. Even the U.S. and Russia remained silent, and France distanced itself from Modi.”
Dr. Wizarat emphasized that the battle had re-focused global attention on Kashmir, presenting an opportunity Pakistan must now carefully navigate.
Erum Tanveer, Director General of the Press Information Department, Sindh, emphasized that while the outcome was a clear triumph for Pakistan, it also serves as a critical reminder of the challenges ahead. She noted, “This was a great victory. But I must add that it was a wake-up call too. India’s illusion of economic and technological supremacy has been dismantled. Our defense forces, media, and diplomatic efforts acted in perfect unison and delivered results. Another challenge now is to remain prepared for any and every eventuality.”
Former ambassadors G.R. Baloch and Rafiuzzaman commended Pakistan’s robust diplomacy and media narrative, which they said outperformed India’s on every front. “India tried to link terrorism to Pakistan, but the world didn’t buy it,” said Baloch.
“Pakistan’s diplomacy worked. So did our media. But now we must further modernize both our conventional and nuclear deterrence to prepare for the future.”
Rafiuzzaman urged regional cooperation and criticized India’s deteriorating relations with its neighbors. “Even Iran warned India before the conflict, but it didn’t listen. SAARC has become irrelevant. Pakistan’s success is a second chance to reposition itself globally and pursue peace,” he said.
Shakeel Ahmed Siddiqui, a senior bureaucrat, said, “Modi’s political and diplomatic credibility has taken a huge blow. India’s Kashmir policy is a failure, and its use of water as a weapon was seen as irresponsible.”
He added that Pakistan remains committed to the Indus Waters Treaty and is fully prepared to defend its water and territorial rights.
Prof. Dr. Uzma Shujaat, former chairperson of the Area Study Centre for Europe at the University of Karachi, pointed out that despite India’s economic size and IT dominance, it fell short in this battle. “Pakistan had the edge militarily, diplomatically, and even in media. This was our moment to show the world our strength and resolve,” she said.
Dr. Samreen Bari, another speaker, warned that India mistook Pakistan for a weaker state, like Palestine or Ukraine. “But Pakistan proved otherwise. The region, home to over 20% of the world’s population, cannot afford such instability. We need real solutions, not militarism.” The seminar concluded with a tribute to the professionalism and courage of Pakistan’s defence forces, marking this as a defining moment in reshaping the region’s strategic calculus.
