This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by retired Brigadier Kuldip Singh.

In this tense news week, we begin by dissecting India’s Operation Sindoor and strikes on terror camps in Pakistan on May 7. “Neither side, particularly India, wants a full-scale war,” says Brigadier Singh, referring to past confrontations like the Uri and Balakot strikes. He adds, “This time, the strike is far greater in intensity and in the number of targets.”  

Jayashree, acknowledging public sentiment but questioning the nature of response, says, “What we’re seeing right now feels more like muscle-flexing.”

Shardool highlights how the United States and Western nations are responding differently to the current crisis compared to earlier years. “The U.S. is far less interested now…One reason is that they don’t need Pakistan the way they did before.”

Manisha points out that Operation Sindoor marks a shift in the Indian government's stance. She says what it signals is that the government “now has a clear intention: to state unambiguously that Pakistan is the enemy”.

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: India and Pakistan, diplomatic games, journalist designations

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Song: Where is the love?

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introductions 

00:05:03 - Headlines 

00:13:25 - Operation Sindoor and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan

00:48:22 - Brig Kuldip’s recommendations

01:29:40 - Letters

01:42:25 - Recommendations

References 

Press Freedom Week offer

Buy Kashmir Ki Kahani 

'Operation Sindoor': India’s Cross-Border Message Is Loud and Calculated

Theatre of Absurdities: Why no one will win an Indo-Pak war

How Insurgencies End

Support Alt News

Let’s Talk About: Kashmir – Part 1

Recommendations

Brigadier Kuldip Singh

The Ends of Earth by Robert D Kaplan

George Friedman’s writings (Author of Geopolitical Futures)

Writings of Yuvan Noah Harari ( Such as ‘Sapiens’)

Raman 

‘Protest should not have turned communal’: Nainital girl who spoke for unity

Wicked Little Letters 

Manisha

Tareekh Pe Justice

Jayashree 

The Balakot Misdirection by Sushant Singh

The Impunity of India’s Police: How to Manufacture a Murder

31 Songs by Nick Hornby 

Shardool

Indore’s ‘love jihad’ machine: Hindutva networks, ‘100% police support’, witchcraft claims

Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War

The World at War by BBC

Abhinandan

Joe Biden’s interview with BBC

India-UK Trade: Almost there?

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters.

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand. 

Production assistance by Tista Roy Chowdhury.

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