As conflicts rage worldwide, a brief South Asian ceasefire offers rare hope for peace
As the New Year was ushered in with the hope of watching sports events like the football and cricket World Cups, innovation like a crewed space vessel circling the moon and tech progress smoothing over market jitters on AI, the feeling was inescapable that the world is glad 2025 is over. For, primarily, it was the year of conflicts and confrontations that ignored territorial sovereignty and of trade wars and Trumpian tariffs.
As the old year ebbed, the Saudis were bombing Yemen to hand the UAE a warning about arms supplies while conflicts in Africa were getting nowhere nearer a solution even as Israel was asserting its assumed right to keep firing in Gaza at the Hamas and at the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Amid the explosive din, the only true silence was that of arsenals of guns, missiles and drones of modern warfare in India and Pakistan.
It was the one dispute that came to a full halt after four days, which is why world powers are scrambling for a slice of pride and recognition even if there is no peace prize on offer for stopping this war. China became the latest claimant to silent mediation efforts which may have impelled Pakistan to pick up the DGMOs line and offer a ceasefire. Trump has a serious rival now even if he is leading 75-1 in peddling what is an easy claim.
No one can explain why India, enjoying the upper hand with Op. Sindoor by the fourth day of war, agreed to cease hostilities though it may have created a most scary scenario with a warning strike on the Kirana Hills where some of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are bunkered. The task of interpreting the winner and loser in another India-Pak skirmish is left to the imagination of political leaders and generals.
As we welcome 2026, it is best that Op. Sindoor and its codenamed counterpart in Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos remain part of military history, to be studied at leisure by members of the military-industrial complexes who will benefit the most from wars even if deterrence keeps them busy enough anyway. A year of peace will do better for the world, specifically for India that is going up the totem pole of the biggest economies of the world.
