Pakistan, April 26 -- There we go again, same old directors and playwrights, same old scripts, and the same old dramatic stage set across the border. From Uri to Pathankot, from Pulwama to Pulgham, the Indian strategic playbook seems to be a repetitive script of choreographed tragedies and timed triumphs. The sudden emergence of a mysterious terror group, the predictable delay or failure of security response, followed swiftly by a polished narrative within minutes. This cycle has become almost textbook in Indian political and military chronicles.

It's a script we've seen unfold too many times. A handful of unknown actors carry out an attack, conveniently disappearing without giving the Indian security apparatus even a fleeting moment for...