India, July 5 -- Op Sindoor was not about seizing ground. It was about shaping the future balance of power.

In India's long and proud military history, the 1971 war has stood as the benchmark of strategic triumph. India liberated Bangladesh, decisively defeated Pakistani forces in the east, and captured over 90,000 prisoners of war. It was a political and military earthquake. But there was one thing India did not do in 1971. It did not break through on the western front. It did not penetrate into Pakistan's heartland or shake Rawalpindi's confidence in its military dominance.

That remained untouched. Operation Sindoor changed that equation. In just four days, India not only responded to a crossborder terror attack, it launched a militar...