India, May 26 -- The sudden elevation of General Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan army, to the rank of Field Marshal has shocked many. One has never heard of a general getting an instant promotion immediately after a swift military defeat. The first phase of Operation Sindoor was paused after Pakistan's director general of operations (DGMO) threw in the towel and called his Indian counterpart for a ceasefire: The Pakistani DGMO's call was preceded by a plea to the US for help after the Indian Armed Forces destroyed 11 military airfields.

What was considered as a self-goal was converted by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the master propaganda machinery of Pakistan's armed forces, into a self-belief of victory and a resultant ...