Indo-Pak talks should not be aborted
India and Pakistan are neighbours. For the same reason, they have to be in good terms with each other. It is also in the interest of both countries that they are connected with each other over many matters apart from borders, for the many reasons including their commonalities in culture, way of life and people who share a history that belonged to a few generations in both nations. But owing to mistakes made by ruling dispensations, both countries have been breathing hot and cold over many years.
This week, a meeting was supposed to be held between foreign affairs ministries of India and Pakistan. But this meeting was cancelled for no tangible reason. Pakistan PM Imran Khan had sought cooperation from India in a letter he had written. As a result of this, a meeting of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s meeting with her Pak counterpart Muhammad Khureshi was almost certain. But in a matter of 24 hours, the talks have been cancelled from India’s side and Pak PM Imran Khan has expressed deep discontentment in this regard.
The relationship between India and Pakistan has been a chequered one. The nations that share a common border sometimes come very close. Just as one starts to assume things may get better from this point, the relationship breaks down to nothing. A meeting gets cancelled and then people begin to blow hot and blow cold immediately thereafter. And this time is no exception either.
Gruesome murder of a BSF soldier allegedly by Pakistan forces has led to both countries retreating on their talk pact. Terrorists in Kashmir kidnapped three policemen from their homes and killed them. This incident added even more complexity to the already volatile situation between the two nations.
Upset by this development, India has said these incidents are a result of evil approach Pakistan has taken towards India. The most foul murder of BSF soldier is highly condemnable. No one would ever have any objection to widespread condemnation to this. But just about a day before his body was found, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in an interview that ‘we (india) also severe their necks, but we do not publicise that.’ Her words have also been condemned widely.
Eye for an eye is never the answer. This does not contribute to the betterment of relationships between two countries in any way. In fact, it would be detrimental to good relations between two countries. There is no doubt that Pakistan promotes terrorism. But innocent Kashmiris don’t have to pay the price for this. People are already stuck between terrorists and army in that area. On the other hand, relationship between two countries is getting very complex now. War will not serve both countries well at all. Common people will face a lot of problem owing to that. That would set the country’s progress back by many years. Hence, India has to take a calculated approach in this matter.
India-Pakistan-Bangladesh are three nations that exist on a single unit of land. Socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia often said they have to foster better relations between themselves and walk in solidarity towards progress. From the time of our very first PM Nehru, India has been following this policy. Many steps were initiated in this regard. A train and bus facility was made to connect Lahore with India. But that contentment didn’t last too long. The whole border area is laden with a lot of problems. Terrorists have been consistently continuing their destructive activities since many years now. Their whole purpose is to destroy any chance of conducive talks between both countries. Whenever there is a fair chance of betterment of relations between two countries, terrorists increase the frequency of their attacks. Hence, both the countries have to ensure they keep the talks on irrespective of such gruesome incidents.
India boycotted the meeting with Pakistan for reasons that Kashmir had released a postage stamp commemorating Burhan Wani, an alleged terrorist and for the reason that Pakistan had slit the throat of BSF jawan. Instead of boycotting, the murder of jawan should have been put before the foreign affairs minister of Pakistan and taken the nation to task over this inhumanity. But cancelling the meeting means an opportunity lost to take our case further. This cannot better the relations between foreign affairs ministries of both countries. The only interest of India at this point should be to keep the talks on and continue to explore opportunities to take the case of peace existing between both countries further. Hence, both nations need to take positive approach. India, Bangladesh and Pakistan cannot fight each other on issues that should actually bond them together. Hence, India should not hesitate from calling another international meeting between the nations and Pakistan must make it a point to participate and do its duty in ensuring peace in the region.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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