By Qamar Bashir
In one of the most stunning and deeply troubling incidents of modern military conflict, the May 2025 India-Pakistan escalation has not only exposed the weakness of Indian air superiority but has also brought to light a catastrophic failure in India’s missile command and control infrastructure. In an unprecedented embarrassment, several ballistic missiles fired by the Indian military reportedly landed within its own territory—specifically in Indian-administered Kashmir and East Punjab—causing damage, death, and widespread panic.
While Indian media outlets initially attempted to blame these explosions on Pakistani
strikes, independent intelligence sources, local reports, and even intercepted
communication within Indian military channels revealed the horrifying truth: these were
Indian missiles, misfired or misdirected due to systemic failures in guidance systems,
lack of coordination, or possibly human error. It is a stark reminder that the world’s
largest democracy, which possesses over 170 nuclear warheads, operates with a missile
infrastructure plagued by flaws that could have global consequences.
The story doesn’t end with missiles gone rogue. Earlier in the week, Pakistan
successfully downed five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft—France’s
pride, and India’s most advanced multirole fighters. But the embarrassment did not stop
at the downing itself; what shook global military experts was the fact that these Rafales
were shot down not by any American stealth technology or Russian SAM systems—but
by Chinese-made J-10C and JF-17 Thunder jets, operated by Pakistani pilots with
surgical precision.
A French defense analyst, when asked how the technologically inferior Chinese platforms
could destroy such advanced jets, offered a brutally honest assessment: “We provided the
platform. But platforms require skill to operate. That we could not supply to Indian
pilots.”
The statement encapsulates the broader dysfunction in India’s military command. Despite
heavy investments in advanced platforms, India’s air force continues to be undermined
by under-trained personnel, politicized promotions, and insufficient real-combat
exposure—particularly compared to Pakistan, whose forces are battle-hardened from two
decades of asymmetric and conventional warfare.
The gravest development, however, is the recent missile misfires that have turned India’s
own weapons on its people. At least two ballistic missiles, reportedly launched during
retaliatory salvos aimed at Pakistani positions, veered off course and exploded within
Indian territory. In the immediate aftermath, chaos erupted across Indian-controlled
Kashmir and East Punjab, with local hospitals overwhelmed by casualties. Indian media,
in a desperate attempt to save face, labeled these attacks as Pakistani provocations—but
those claims quickly unraveled.
Pakistan, for its part, categorically denied launching any such strikes and emphasized that
its military doctrine does not target civilian populations, especially in areas where it
shares deep religious and political sympathies, such as among Kashmiri Muslims and
Khalistani Sikhs. More importantly, Pakistani intelligence intercepted and traced the
origin of the misfires back to Indian launch sites—corroborated by eyewitness accounts,
trajectory tracking, and analysis by third-party observers.
This is not the first time India has humiliated itself through missile mishandling. In 2022,
an Indian missile accidentally landed in Pakistan during a “routine maintenance error,”
prompting a major diplomatic protest. Then too, India failed to notify its own neighbors
in real-time—highlighting a command structure fraught with negligence and poor
oversight.
Now, with multiple self-inflicted missile strikes during an active war, the stakes are no
longer regional—they’re global.
India’s nuclear capability places it in a high-stakes category where even a minor
miscalculation can trigger regional or global catastrophe. Its inability to ensure missile
accuracy and its failure to maintain control over its ballistic arsenal demands urgent
international scrutiny.
Global watchdogs, including the United Nations Security Council, should urgently
convene to impose technical and procedural safeguards on India’s missile testing and
deployment systems. Countries like the United States, Russia, and China—regardless of
their rivalries—must agree on inspection protocols for South Asia’s missile networks,
particularly India’s, to prevent an unintentional nuclear escalation.
If a ballistic missile designed to hit strategic enemy targets instead kills civilians within
India, what assurance is there that a future “mistake” won’t hit Karachi, Kabul, or even
Moscow?
In stark contrast to India’s series of disasters, Pakistan’s armed forces have demonstrated
remarkable professionalism, agility, and strategic foresight throughout the ongoing
conflict. The Pakistan Air Force, employing advanced Chinese PL-15 long-range air-to-
air missiles, showcased its superior targeting capabilities by neutralizing India’s
Rafales—arguably the crown jewel of its air fleet.
Despite being outnumbered and often underestimated, Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunders and J-
10Cs have shown tactical supremacy due to better coordination, superior training, and
modern Chinese integration protocols. The F-16 fleet, backed by American avionics and
enhanced radar systems, played a pivotal role in electronic warfare, disrupting Indian
communications and reducing the efficacy of their missions.
Pakistan’s missile corps has remained restrained, precise, and strategically calibrated. No
misfires. No civilian casualties. No violations of its own sovereignty. Its restraint has
earned it not only strategic ground but also diplomatic credibility.
This war has become a revealing lens through which to judge the operational readiness
and ethical responsibility of two nuclear-armed neighbors. India, despite its vast military
budget and foreign acquisitions, is now viewed with suspicion and concern—not just by
its enemies, but by its allies.
Its Air Force, once touted as a regional juggernaut, has been humbled. Its missile
command, often paraded as indomitable, is now a subject of memes, diplomatic concern,
and potential UN scrutiny. And its leadership, in attempting to outgun and outmaneuver
Pakistan, has stumbled into self-inflicted chaos.
On the other hand, Pakistan has played a calculated hand—militarily and diplomatically.
By combining indigenous innovation, foreign partnership with China, and disciplined
strategy, it has not only defended its sovereignty but also earned a moral and tactical
upper hand.
India’s air strikes and missile barrages may have been intended to send a message to
Pakistan—but the only recipients of its destruction so far have been its own citizens and
its international reputation.
As missiles rained down on Indian soil—fired not by foreign hands but its own—the
world must now reconsider the narrative of regional responsibility. The future of South
Asian stability will not be secured through unchecked military parades, but through
accountability, training, and respect for the immense power nations wield.
The missile that strikes your enemy may start a war. But the missile that strikes your own
heart may end your credibility forever.
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC
Macomb, Detroit, Michigan, USA
