India, May 10 -- Like every Indian, I was overcome with shock and anger after hearing about Pahalgam terror attack. As the emotional dust settled, a darker question emerged: Has Pakistan now become China's lapdog?

The style of the Pahalgam attack was notably different from earlier terror incidents. As in, it was grotesquely theatrical and seemingly designed to provoke a national crisis. It felt like something larger was at play, a Chinese hand perhaps?

Over the decades, Pakistan's military establishment has outsourced its sovereignty. First, to the United States, when Washington needed a pawn in its 'Cold War' battle with the USSR and now to China, which may want to destabilise India.

Why would China want to provoke a crisis between In...