Ceasefire or spectacle? Unpacking the India-Pakistan peace narrative

By Vishwas Bhamburkar*

Ceasefire = Peace?

When India and Pakistan announced their ceasefire, my phone lit up—as expected. The headlines screamed “peace,” but the undercurrents hummed a different tune—grittier, more calculated, and far from altruistic.

Let’s not kid ourselves—this wasn’t two nuclear neighbours stepping back from the brink of all-out war. It had the makings of a choreographed spectacle, with scripts drafted in Washington, Rawalpindi, New Delhi… and Palo Alto. I’m no analyst, have no PhD in South Asian politics, and I don’t binge conspiracy podcasts.

This is just me, observing and reporting.

Zoom out, and you start to see the fingerprints of the 2024 American election, Silicon Valley’s quiet capital, and a defence-industrial symphony playing just beneath the noise. The media said things were spiralling—Pahalgam’s terror attack, killing 26 civilians, sparked India’s strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba camps. Pakistan’s response, calibrated and furious, bore a Chinese stamp. The internet churned out misinformation by the terabyte, feeding faux war hawks and keyboard generals.

Enter Donald Trump—back in the White House, back with a vengeance, and back to claiming credit. While India retaliated and Pakistan flexed, Trump stayed quiet. Then, just as the stage was set, he swooped in, claiming the “historic peace” he brokered. Never mind that regional fatigue, India’s domestic resolve post-Pahalgam, Pakistan’s crumbling economy, and backchannels—greased by U.S. pressure and a $1 billion IMF loan tied to compliance—did the heavy lifting.

“This conflict’s been going on for centuries,” he quipped days ago, oblivious to the 2025 calendar. I’m sure it played well in Ohio and made a killer ad spot.

But here’s the kicker: this wasn’t just a geopolitical timeout. It’s a techno-political realignment. Behind the scenes, Silicon Valley’s heavyweights—Palantir, Anduril, and Elon Musk’s Starlink—were quietly shaping events. Starlink, already used in conflict zones, reportedly helped stabilise communications in the region. No official confirmation, but the overlap between military needs and tech innovation has never been more blatant. Palantir’s AI-driven surveillance, Anduril’s autonomous drone tech, and Musk’s satellite empire—backed by billions in defence contracts—were likely stress-tested in this South Asian flare-up.

I don’t see how the Trump administration, whose 2024 campaign was flush with tech-lobby cash from these very players, could claim to not have its eyes on this theatre—especially since this was the first major test of the Chinese defence industry, a direct competitor. Please remember, the latter's growth rate has been staggering in the past few years.

The defence sector—energised by the cross-border escalation—now eyes long-term contracts. Indian firms like Bharat Dynamics, which supplies drones and missiles, are cashing in. The Nifty Defence Index didn’t tank—rather, it climbed. Investors aren’t betting on a quick peace. They’re betting on India’s military modernisation. Turkey establishes itself in new markets. Pakistan, meanwhile, gets to splurge $1 billion, with billions to follow—maybe not for peace, but for survival.

The ceasefire was all about timing. It handed Trump a foreign policy “win” to flaunt. It gave the ruling party here a nationalist boost ahead of elections. Pakistan’s military—battered by domestic chaos and empty coffers—needed a breather to save face. China, Pakistan’s ally, likely nudged for de-escalation to protect its regional chessboard. Big Tech got its footprint, defence giants got their margins, and Trump got his messiah moment.

The media’s cashing in, too. Indian outlets, framing Operation Sindoor as a bold strike, turn nationalist fervour into ad dollars. Pakistan’s press distracts from internal collapse. But Kashmir? Cross-border terrorism? Those stay untouched. The Indus Waters Treaty remains in limbo—a reminder that India’s not softening on Pakistan’s “terror machine.”

So yeah, diplomacy gets its photo op. But we’ll have to wait and watch, as we still don’t know if this is peace—or just a pause. War in 2025 isn’t just bullets; it’s a well-timed Truth Social post, a satellite link, and a smug press release.

The real winners? Corporations, governments, and tech titans. The rest of us get a front-row seat to the fine print.

Now that Sindoor is done, it’s time to stay indoors and find some sense of normalcy in the bleakness that remains.

---

*RTI activist. Source: socialist-party-india@googlegroups.com

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”

Counterview

Search This Blog