By adopting Defensive Offense, India has created a paradigm shift in its war against terror, sponsored by Pakistan.
It is no secret that Pakistan has been training, funding and providing logistic support to terrorist to infiltrate and create havoc in India since 1990s. Bleeding India by 1000 cuts has been the strategy. This is a low intensity war tactic, with hardly any cost, as Pakistan was sure India will not retaliate, for fear of escalating the situation to a war, and that too with a country with a nuclear capability.
The nuclear arsenal was considered to be a huge deterrent and flaunted by Pakistan, as a deterrent against conventional warfare, if adopted by India.
India was caught in the limbo. Isolated terror attacks did not warrant a military response across the border. The International Community would have not taken to it. They would have viewed it as use of excessive force, and Pakistan could easily have played victim.
Over the years, Pakistan has developed an eco-system of politicians, journalists and sympathizers inside India, who were paid for, and did their bidding in discrediting and weakening India.
And add to this, a wimp like Manmohan Singh, and a double wimp like A K Antony as Prime Minister and Defense Minister, who were just puppets in the hand of Sonia Gandhi, who has no love lost for India, as a nation. Between them, they demoralized the armed forces completely. The public looked hapless. The International Community, which never had a high opinion of India, mocked at us. We, as a nation, suffered.
Then Modi happened. He and Ajit Duval worked hard to first bring the International Community to our fold. All the miles clocked by Modi had to pay dividends at some time. Remember 'Godfather'. How Michael Corleone systematically rebuild his fathers organization, cemented the relationship with powerful politicians and judiciary ( 'getting all the connections wired up') before taking on the opposition, and destroying them in one night of action.
Perhaps Modi and Duval took a leaf out of Mario Puzo. My gut feeling is that Modi would have preferred to wait till the Second Term to teach Pakistan a military lesson. But his hand was forced by the attack on CRPF Jawans.
His hand was forced, just as Michael Corleones was when Don Corelone died a natural death. It couldnt be pushed back again. Modi had to attack here and now, and how he did.
Our Air Force crossed over to Pakistan, and bombed the hell out of Terrorist Training Camps, and returned safely.
Pakistan Army, which virtually rules the Country, controls the population through well managed anti-India rhetoric, while highlighting the capability (including nuclear) of Pakistan Army. People feared the Army and are in awe of it.
But India Air Force bombing Pakistan, and Pakistan Army unable to either stop it or retaliate (the feeble attempt with F-16 was a bigger disaster, only camouflaged by the capture of our pilot, fact remains that an obsolete MIG 21 downed a modern F-16), has totally discredited Pakistan Army. Despite the spin, having to return Indian Pilot within 3 days of capture, was a further loss of face. Pakistan suddenly found they had no friends at all, even OIC told them that they are dispensable.
I guess this is the beginning of the end of Pakistan. Once people lose their awe, and starts making fun of Pakistan Army, the control they had all these years is gone.
With a failing economy, no oil reserves (Pakistan was forced to close down all Airports to save Aviation Fuel, so that they could be used by Military, if required), rising inflation, trouble prone areas like Baluchistan, POK, the future looks bleak.
All it requires is a push from India, which will happen post elections.
