Decisive triumph of hard power, questions over soft power

It may be recalled that India had launched Op Sindoor on May 7 as a just and justified response of self-defense by a democratic nation against the scourge of terrorism.

The broad consensus both within India and among South Asia watchers abroad is that Operation Sindoor has been a definitive military victory for India at the tactical plane and this is to be commended. However, the same cannot be said about the ‘microphone’ war – wherein the Indian story/narrative about events that followed the Pahalgam terror massacre have been met by foreign audiences with a mix of ambivalence and skepticism.

This is the reason why Delhi has sent parliamentary delegations abroad to convey the Indian story about Op Sindoor and the larger challenge of jihadi terrorism – a malignancy that is supported by the deep state in Pakistan as part of an ontological strategy going back to October 1947.

In keeping with the Indian practice, several  all-party delegations have fanned out to different parts of the world to burnish India’s profile as a vibrant democracy that has been the victim of state-sponsored terrorism and the national ‘soft power’ tool-box is being brought into focus.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, an acclaimed author and former UN civil servant is the star member of this effort and led one group to the US and neighbouring nations.

Prior to their departure, Tharoor elucidated the purpose of their tour as: “We don’t want indifference to triumph over the truth. It’s a mission of peace. It’s a mission of hope. And it’s a mission that will one day remind the world that India stands for all the values we need to preserve in the world today of peace, of democracy, of freedom, and not of hatred, killing and of terror.”

Reasons India has lost some sheen

India has long been held up as not only the world’s largest democracy but a nation that had sustained its democratic credentials and commitment to constitutional fidelity – despite some setbacks such as the 1975 Emergency imposed by then PM Indira Gandhi.  Consequently the world held India up, in the past, to a higher standard of governance and rectitude. However, recent developments over the last decade have muddied this track record, and hence much of the quizzical hesitation among foreign interlocutors apropos the Indian story.

Tharoor and his team have an uphill task, for there has been considerable dismay expressed even among India’s most empathetic American interlocutors that in recent years there has been a backsliding of the democratic commitment by the Indian state. The manner in which a few members from among the minorities have been intimidated and on occasion lynched - Muslim citizens in particular – has not gone unnoticed, nor has the bulldozer model of imposing ‘justice.’

India which was once seen as the steadfast upholder of normative principles of equality and liberty and fidelity to law,  has been cast in less than favourable light in the US – a formulation that Delhi has stoutly rejected.  The all-party delegation with its persuasive elected representatives will hopefully correct this perception.

When allegations are picked up at once

But this task has been rendered even more complex and arduous with the latest case of aspersions being cast against Delhi. In what is a very damaging allegation – a May 15  UN press release from Geneva has been reported in the global media where it is averred : “ Alarmed by credible reports that Rohingya refugees were forced off an Indian navy vessel and into the Andaman Sea last week, a UN expert has begun an inquiry into such ‘unconscionable, unacceptable acts’ while urging the Indian government to refrain from inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.”

This aspersion against the Indian military – the navy in particular – by a  UN representative is very, very damaging and sounds incredulous. While there has been no official statement from Delhi on this matter, the Indian Supreme Court (SC) has examined the charge and arrived at a determination.

On May 16, the SC heard a petition which claimed that the Indian government had  “illegally deported” 38 Rohingya refugees, including women, children, the elderly and sick people, to Myanmar on May 7 -  and then  "abandoned" them in international waters, compelling them to swim to the shore.

Having heard the victim testimony made available to the court and arguments about blatant violation of human rights by the Indian government, the UN accusation and more – the SC concluded that there was no evidence indicating that the Indian government had left the Rohingya refugees stranded in international waters. This is to be welcomed – that there was no such evidence against the Indian navy – a service that adheres to the highest standards of professional conduct and constitutional rectitude. (Disclosure – this author served in the navy for 37 years.)

‘Truth alone triumphs’

Predictably this damaging report was picked up by the mainstream US media and the New York Times reported (May 17) the story with the headline: “India Is Accused of Inhumanely Deporting Rohingya Refugees ” with more details of the UN report and victim accounts of what had ostensibly transpired in the sea on May 7 between the A&N islands and Myanmar.

It may be recalled that India had launched Op Sindoor on May 7 as a just and justified response of self-defense by a democratic nation against the scourge of terrorism- murderously launched by perpetrators who had scant respect and regard for international law and human rights.

The Indian military has always maintained the highest standards of professionalism and commitment to international law and practice and its track-record in UN Peace-Keeping Operations (UNPKO) is testimony. One hopes that the UN will not only withdraw these charges but render an apology for casting such aspersions against the Indian navy.

Burnishing India’s image as a credible democracy and restoring the vitality of its soft-power in the campaign against terrorism will be a critical national endeavour and it must be anchored in the national motto: "Satyameva Jayate" - truth alone triumphs.