Chandigarh, March 17 -- Had the Pakistan military not taken a hit in its backyard and the IAF's precision bombs fallen in the jungle, the rival air force would not have retaliated the very next day. This was chief of air staff BS Dhanoa's simple statement conveying the strategic import of the Balakot strikes or the 'larger picture' beyond number of terrorist casualties. It recalls to mind then US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's enduring comment in 2011 before an assemblage of Pakistan government dignitaries: "You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. You know, eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard."...