POK - A distant dream now and forever

It has happened again. For the second time in our history, India has let go of a golden opportunity to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us — Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the brutal massacre in Pahalgam, had the full support of the nation. It was sharp, swift, and executed with precision by our brave armed forces. No one questions their courage. No one denies the professionalism with which our military carried out their mission. But what followed? Ceasefire. Diplomacy. Silence. And once again, Delhi blinked.

Let us call it what it is — a diplomatic failure of the highest order. A blunder that history will not forgive easily. We have seen this before, haven't we? In 1971, after the historic victory in the Indo-Pak war, we had 93,000 Pakistani soldiers as prisoners of war. India was in a position of absolute strength. We could have demanded POK. We could have redrawn the map. But instead, we signed the Simla Agreement — a deal that gave Pakistan its army back and left us with little more than a handshake. And now, after the blood of 26 innocent Indians spilled in Pahalgam, we had yet another chance. But once again, we surrendered our advantage — not on the battlefield, but at the diplomatic table.

Operation Sindoor was not just a military operation — it was a moment. A moment of unity. A moment when every Indian stood behind the government, behind the forces, behind the cause. The pain of Pahalgam united us. People across India were not just mourning; they were angry. They were ready. The country wanted justice, not just retaliation. We didn’t want symbolism — we wanted sovereignty. We wanted POK.

But what did Delhi do? It launched a few airstrikes. Sent missiles flying into terror camps. Called it a calibrated response. Then, it went back to the table and agreed to a ceasefire. Why? What changed in 48 hours? What forced us to pull back when we had the upper hand? The answer, as always, lies in global pressure — especially from the United States. Every time India takes a strong stand, the West jumps in with lectures on restraint and peace. And sadly, every time, our leaders oblige.

It’s easy to shout in Parliament about reclaiming POK. It’s easy to thunder on election stages that “POK is ours and we’ll take it back.” But when the real moment arrives — when the world is watching, when the forces are ready, when the people are united — Delhi bows. We blink. We hesitate. And in doing so, we lose the battle not of war, but of will.

Let’s be very clear. This is not about doubting the armed forces. They did their job. They hit hard. They delivered. But diplomacy failed. Our leaders had the chance to push forward. To hold ground. To use the momentum and international spotlight to isolate Pakistan completely. Instead, we let them regroup. We let them breathe. And we handed them a moral victory they did not deserve.

When Balakot happened in 2019, we struck deep into their territory. 300 terrorists were taken out. Yet, nothing changed. They came back. They planned more. And now, after Pahalgam, when we had a full moral and military high ground, we repeated the same cycle. One strike, a few killed, and then back to business as usual. What message are we sending? That we will always respond, but never finish? That we’ll always slap, but never seize?

POK is not just land. It is emotion. It is history. It is sacrifice. It is the blood of our soldiers who died defending every inch of our territory. And yet, we have let it slip — again. This was the moment. This was the hour. The world would have understood. The international sentiment was in our favor. Even if there were murmurs from the West, we had the justification. The moral weight of innocent Indian lives lost in Pahalgam. The legal claim over POK. The national will of 1.4 billion people.

But we chose silence. We chose a ceasefire. We chose diplomacy when we needed determination. And let’s not pretend this was out of wisdom. This wasn’t strategy. This was fear — fear of global backlash, fear of media pressure, fear of offending foreign capitals. But let’s ask ourselves honestly — since when did India, a sovereign nation, start shaping its responses based on what Washington thinks? Where is the self-respect? Where is the strategic autonomy we keep boasting about?

Israel doesn’t wait for permission to defend itself. When its people are attacked, it responds — not with symbolism, but with strength. It doesn’t stop until its enemies know never to strike again. That is deterrence. That is clarity. That is what we lacked. Because let’s be honest — Operation Sindoor, as precise as it was, did not shake the roots of terror. It was a slap. We needed a storm.

And now, with a ceasefire in place, Pakistan will do what it always does — deny, deflect, and then prepare the next attack. They’ve already launched Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. They will rearm. They will regroup. And they will return. Meanwhile, we will return to studio debates, to hashtags, to hollow speeches. Nothing on the ground will change.

The real tragedy is that this was perhaps the last chance. The last time the political capital, public anger, and military preparedness were all aligned. You, Mr. Prime Minister, had the mandate. You had the might. You had the moment. But you missed it. You let it pass. And now, we don’t know if it will ever return.

POK will remain in our slogans. It will be printed on our maps. It will echo in our songs and our dreams. But thanks to another diplomatic surrender, it may never come back in reality. Not because we couldn’t — but because we wouldn’t.

And that’s the real shame.

Delhi must answer. Not to the opposition. Not to the world. But to the families of the martyrs. To the people of Pahalgam. To every Indian who believed that this time would be different. But it wasn’t. Again.

God bless 'BHARAT.'