In a sharp rebuke of Pakistan’s conduct in the recent conflict with India, former Pentagon official Michael Rubin declared that Pakistan “lost very, very badly” both militarily and diplomatically in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Rubin said Pakistan “ran like a scared dog with its tail between its legs” after India crippled key Pakistani airfields. He described India’s strategy as “decisive, precise, and strategically superior.”
“India won this both diplomatically and militarily. The whole world’s attention is now on Pakistan’s terrorist sponsorship,” Rubin said.
Rubin didn’t mince words when addressing Pakistan’s internal contradictions. He cited instances of uniformed Pakistani military personnel attending funerals of terrorists, saying this clearly exposes the nexus between terror groups and Pakistan’s security establishment, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
“The world is going to demand that Pakistan extract the rot from its own system,” he added, warning of growing international impatience with Islamabad’s duplicity.
Rubin highlighted India’s swift and effective military escalation, which not only neutralized terror training camps and infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) but also damaged key military assets, including radar systems and airfields across the border.
“India changed the diplomatic conversation. Militarily, Pakistan is shocked,” Rubin said, stressing that India’s air power and intelligence coordination outclassed Pakistan’s retaliatory efforts.
He also questioned the competence of Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, calling the military a “cancer” on Pakistani society and “incompetent as a fighting force.”
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, just days after a devastating terror attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives. Indian forces struck terrorist infrastructure linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen, reportedly killing over 100 terrorists.
Pakistan responded with cross-border shelling and drone incursions, but India’s precision counterstrikes inflicted heavy losses, disabling key communication centers and surveillance systems.
The four-day conflict ended on May 10 after both sides reached a ceasefire understanding. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later described the operation as a “befitting reply” to cross-border terrorism.
