Pakistan, Feb. 10 -- In moments of crisis between nuclear-armed states, analysis does not merely record events, it shapes understanding, policy choices and future risk-taking. That is why assessments of such crises must be grounded in evidence, balance and intellectual honesty. When these standards are compromised, analysis can slip into advocacy, reinforcing narratives instead of explaining realities. The Centre for Military History and Perspective Studies report on "Operation Sindoor" illustrates this danger. While presented as an objective review of India-Pakistan air operations, the report leaves out critical facts that are essential to understanding how escalation was actually managed and why wider conflict was avoided.

A careful re...