Politics
India has jabbed Pakistan straight in Its heart: Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev
New Delhi [India], May 17 (ANI): Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev has weighed in on three major developments following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif‘s acknowledgement of an Indian missile strike on Nur Khan Airbase, India’s evolving retaliatory doctrine, and the government’s decision to send an all-party delegation abroad to counter Pakistan’s global narrative.
In a series of remarks during an interview with ANI, Sachdev outlined the strategic significance of the strike, emphasised India’s firm security posture, and welcomed the move to engage international stakeholders through unified political outreach.
In a development that has sharpened regional fault lines, Sachdev has said that Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif‘s public admission of an Indian missile strike on the Nur Khan Airbasemarks a significant escalation and represents a direct hit to Pakistan’s military nerve centre.
“For Shahbaz Sharif to acknowledge the fact that India’s missile hit Nur Khan Airbase is a big thing. Chaklala Nur Khan Airbase is a terrorist hub – it is right next to Islamabad International Airport. All VVIP flights of the Air Force, military, chiefs, Prime Ministers, fly out from here. The Pakistan Air Force has a Coordination Hub located there, as well as the Intelligence Gathering Unit – this area is the ‘nerve centre’ of the Pakistan Air Force. The fact that Shabaz Sharif is confirming an attack on this area, indicates that India has jabbed Pakistan straight in its heart. 2 cars have come under attack, as well as an oil tanker, as well as other things. To acknowledge this is a great deal, and this indicates that India has immense precision and reach, and that this is a clear message to the country – it is a big statement,” Sachdev said.
He emphasised that the area is not just symbolically important but houses critical infrastructure of the Pakistani military. The admission by Sharif, he said, not only affirms India’s precision capabilities but also demonstrates a firm shift in New Delhi’s security posture, one that does not shy away from hitting high-value military targets when provoked.
Turning to India’s overall messaging to Pakistan, Sachdev asserted that the time for ambiguity is over, and a firm retaliatory doctrine is now in play. “The end game is that Pakistan must learn that they need to live and let live. As long as we are living, we will let them live. If they do something like this, we will not ignore it,” he said during the interview with ANI.
He continued, “How and when this is achieved depends on Pakistan’s ruling elite and their behaviour and understanding towards where they cannot go, when and where that path will show, if we need to sit down for these discussions or not will be seen by our governments. These talks will happen on a bilateral basis. However, Pakistan will have to realise that they need to live and let live. Enough is enough, it has been long that they have been making others’ lives difficult. Until Pakistan reaches this understanding, unfortunately, it is a long road. We will follow our doctrine of ‘tit-for-tat, plus’. If you hit us once, we will hit back equally, but harder.”
Sachdev made it clear that New Delhi’s response to provocations would be measured but uncompromising — if India is attacked, it will respond harder. The “tit-for-tat, plus” policy reflects an evolved security doctrine with more assertive posturing than in previous years.
Addressing India’s move to dispatch an all-party delegation abroad to counter Pakistan’s narrative, Sachdev welcomed the step and said it should have been undertaken earlier. “Whatever messages Pakistan has spread about Kashmir around the world as well as India are mere misunderstandings. World leaders know the truth behind these claims – governments know about these claims. The American government, the British government, the UAE – they know, however, the mass populations of these countries don’t know much about it. They feel that something negative is always going on, that there are a lot of conflicts in India. Things are reported in the same way in the Western media as well,” Sachdev said to ANI.
“This kind of an all-party delegation is extremely important because they will meet with multiple alternate opinion leaders over there, as well as lawmakers and think tanks and media, and will present India’s situation in front of them, and this is a very important step. This move should have been taken by India’s government before, but the recent atrocity calls strongly for it. See, our embassies are already working on this, but other than the embassies, when the United Front is a bigger message. It is not just the current ruling party in the government that is calling for this, no – the entire country, including the Opposition, is saying that what Pakistan is doing with India is something that we cannot tolerate, and that Pakistan will have to change its ways. The world’s governments are putting pressure on Pakistan from different angles. I think this a crucial move.”
Sachdev concluded that the all-party nature of the delegation sends a powerful signal to international observers — that India is unified across political lines in its response to cross-border terrorism and its stance against Pakistan’s continued provocations.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
Politics
Electoral act: Senate’s action confirms Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’, ‘disgraced’ – Peter Obi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the Senate’s refusal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, saying the move further exposes Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt and disgraced country.
Obi expressed his views in a statement shared on X on Friday, where he accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that his reaction came after a brief pause to mourn victims of a deadly tragedy in Kwara State, where over 150 people reportedly lost their lives.
“Let us first pray for the souls of the innocent Nigerians lost in Kwara. That painful incident is why I delayed responding to the shameful development surrounding our electoral system,” he wrote.
Describing the Senate’s decision as intentional and dangerous, Obi said rejecting mandatory electronic transmission was not a simple oversight but a calculated attempt to block transparency.
“The Senate’s open rejection of electronic transmission of results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027,” he said.
According to him, the action strikes at the heart of democracy and raises serious questions about the true purpose of governance in Nigeria.
“This failure to pass a clear safeguard is a direct attack on our democracy. By refusing these transparency measures, the foundation of credible elections is being destroyed. One must ask whether government exists to ensure justice and order or to deliberately create chaos for the benefit of a few.”
The former Anambra State governor linked the post-election controversies of the 2023 general elections to the failure to fully deploy electronic transmission of results, insisting that Nigerians were misled with claims of technical failures.
“
The confusion, disputes and manipulation that followed the 2023 elections were largely due to the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission,” he said.
He added that the so-called system glitch never truly existed.
Obi compared Nigeria’s electoral process with those of other African countries that have embraced technology to improve credibility, lamenting that Nigeria continues to fall behind.
“Many African nations now use electronic transmission to strengthen their democracy. Yet Nigeria, which calls itself the giant of Africa, is moving backwards and dragging the continent along.”
He criticised Nigeria’s leadership class, saying the country’s problems persist not because of a lack of ideas but because of deliberate resistance to meaningful reform.
“We keep organising conferences and writing policy papers about Nigeria’s challenges. But the truth is that the leaders and elite are the real problem. Our refusal to change is pushing the nation backwards into a primitive system of governance.”
Warning of the dangers ahead, Obi said rejecting electronic transmission creates room for confusion and disorder that only serves the interests of a small group.
He also recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt, arguing that actions like this continue to justify those statements.
“When a former UK Prime Minister described Nigeria as ‘fantastically corrupt,’ we were offended. When former US President Donald Trump called us a ‘disgraced nation,’ we were angry. But our continued resistance to transparency keeps proving them right.”
Obi warned that Nigerians should not accept a repeat of the electoral irregularities witnessed in 2023.
“Let there be no mistake. The criminality seen in 2023 must not be tolerated in 2027.”
He urged citizens to be ready to defend democracy through lawful and decisive means, while also calling on the international community to closely monitor developments in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The international community must pay attention to the groundwork being laid for future electoral manipulation, which threatens our democracy and development,” Obi stated.
He concluded by expressing hope that change is still possible if Nigerians take collective responsibility.
“A new Nigeria is possible but only if we all rise and fight for it.”
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