If wishes were horses.

The 1966 blockbuster 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is regarded as one of the most iconic Western movies of all times. Apart from Clint Eastwood's 'Worn Out Poncho', and the ageless soundtrack, the movie is also credited with some memorable lines. One striking quote relates to a famous scene when Eli Wallach (Tuco), enjoying a bubble bath is challenged by a scarred face gunman, who indulges in a long diatribe before positioning himself to take a shot. Eli, cool and calculating, in the meantime, fires a flurry of shots from his invisible gun submersed in the suds. Seconds later, standing beside the fallen body of the gunman, Eli utters the famous line 'When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!'

There is a lesson in this famous quote for the Indian defence minister and his coterie, especially in view of his latest foul-mouthed statement on Gilgit Baltistan (GB). 'Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud', but would Mr. Rajnath ponder. Time and again, the Indian leaders, both civilian and military, have succumbed to the habit of indulging in lengthy coercive rhetoric against Pakistan for domestic mileage. Time and again, their words have brought them more embarrassment and even humiliation, shortly afterwards. Recollecting few instances, in this regard will be in order.

Soon after their nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998, the Indian media went into a frenzy with provocative commentary, including threats of nuclear war against Pakistan hurled by their leadership. However, Pakistan's befitting response of testing its own device two weeks later poured cold water on the media's rage. The loud voice of Indian leaders trailed off as the reality of a strategic balance in South Asia sunk in. Since then, the Indians have been more circumspect, and prudently so, with regards to nuclear talk.

A similar litany of coercive threats was launched by the senior Indian leadership after a roadside ambush in Pulwama district on February 14, 2019, in which 40 security personnel were killed. 12 days later, with the media drumbeating as usual, and the leaders carried away by the false (and dangerous) notion of space for a conflict, the Indian Air Force (IAF) was ordered to conduct an air strike inside Pakistani territory. The operation ended up as a complete fiasco but in reverence to the well-established tradition of unfounded rhetoric, a host of implausible stories, including the death of 300 alleged terrorists, were fabricated by Indian leaders. The false...