Day after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people lost their lives, India has been taking several actions against Pakistan while the Narendra Modi government hinting at major retaliation. From Madhubani in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a stern message to Islamabad in pure Hindi on Thursday, declaring that this time, the punishment would be “beyond imagination.” He echoed this warning to the world in English, ensuring the global community grasped India’s intent. Modi, known for delivering his UN speeches in Hindi, chose English today specifically to make sure the message reached every corner of the globe. In a 30-minute address from Madhubani, the PM spent about five minutes in Hindi and nearly a minute and a half in English, outlining his action plan against terrorism. Referring to Pakistan as “Terroristan,” he warned of a punishment beyond imagination.

In today’s DNA, Rahul Sinha, Managing Editor, Zee News, analysed the developments that hint at something BIG:

Watch Full DNA Episode Here:

भारत के ‘ऐलान-ए-जंग’ का विश्लेषण

‘कल्पना से बड़ी सजा’..मतलब क्या?

शहबाज..मुनीर..हाफिज..PAK में सब कैसे डरे?

देखिए #DNA LIVE Rahul Sinha के साथ#ZeeLive #ZeeNews #DNAWithRahulSinha #PahalgamTerroristAttack #Pahalgam @RahulSinhaTV https://t.co/PsfQN2GOh7
— Zee News (@ZeeNews) April 24, 2025

This phrase—”punishment beyond imagination”—has sparked speculation. India has defeated Pakistan in war four times and has twice conducted cross-border strikes in the last decade, including the 2016 surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot airstrike. It also played a key role in the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. So, what could be even more severe?

Could this mean a potential fragmentation of Pakistan into Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab? Is India planning to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)? Or are targeted strikes being considered on terrorist leadership and ISI headquarters, potentially challenging Pakistan’s very existence?

What’s clear is that if there is military action this time, it will be open and decisive—not covert.

There are several unprecedented signs pointing toward significant action:

• For the first time, India publicly indicated a strong retaliatory move in advance.
• A high-level all-party meeting was convened before any action, signalling national political unity.
• The presence of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief at this meeting was also a first.
• Ambassadors from 20 nations were briefed beforehand by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah met with President Droupadi Murmu, and two red files were placed on the table—files believed to outline India’s next steps.

India is operating at high speed both diplomatically and militarily. Meetings are happening at every level, both nationally and internationally. Let’s decode the standard operating procedure (SOP) before a country heads into conflict:

First, full political support is crucial. That’s why the all-party meeting was held, and all political parties have reportedly expressed support for the government’s stance.

Second, it’s vital to have international allies on board. That explains why the MEA briefed ambassadors from G20 countries, including the US, Russia, France, Germany, and the UK. The European Union has also expressed support for India.

Third, neutralizing the enemy’s potential allies is part of the strategy. MEA officials also met ambassadors from China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Adding to the significance, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is scheduled to visit Kashmir tomorrow.

All signs—from the IB Chief’s involvement in political meetings to back-to-back diplomatic briefings—point toward a major operation in the making. India’s high-level coordination suggests a plan Pakistan could never have imagined, as preparations unfold across all fronts.

The High Court of Karnataka has found fault in the actions of the State government as well as the Lokayukta in initiating disciplinary proceedings against an engineer for not acting against an illegal building situated in Hombegowda ward, while pointing out that the engineer could not take further action as a tribunal had ordered maintenance of status quo with respect to the illegal construction.

“An officer of the State is required to abide by the orders of courts and tribunals. If there is an order of such a court and tribunal restraining the officer from performing any particular action, the non-performance thereof cannot be said to be a dereliction of duty,” the court observed.

Justice Suraj Govidaraj passed the order while quashing the disciplinary proceedings against B.S. Sandeep, who was working as an assistant executive engineer in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike during 2013.

The BBMP issued both preliminary and final notification with respect to an illegally constructed building in August 2013 but it could not go ahead with the demolition as the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal in November 2013 directed the BBMP to maintain status quo on the nature of the building.

Suo motu probe

Meanwhile, the Lokayukta had taken suo motu probe into construction of various properties, including the one involved in the present case, and found that the jurisdictional officers/engineers of the BBMP had failed to act against this illegal construction.

Based on the Lokayukta’s preliminary report, the government initiated departmental enquiry against the officer, including the petitioner, and entrusted the task of enquiry to the Lokayukta during 2016.

However, the court found that the tribunal’s order of status quo was in force when the Lokayukta gave the preliminary report, when the government initiated departmental enquiry in March 2016, and when the Lokayukta issued chargesheet to the petitioner in July 2016.

When the petitioner and the BBMP was restrained from acting owing to the tribunal’s order, disciplinary proceedings could not have been initiated against him, the court said.

Ashwin Desikan, co-founder and CTO, Alsuya Technologiest; Dr, Tamizh Inian, founder and CEO, Frigate Engineering Services Private Limited and Phunith Kumar V, CPO and co-founder, Raptee HV, along with Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu, during the session on Digital Transformation, Startup As Catalyst For Change, in Chennai on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged in industries, colleges or schools. Individuals can learn AI, apply it in their jobs and upskill themselves to find a next job , said Ashwin Desikan, co founder, CTO Atsuya Technologies, at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit in Chennai on Thursday.

Speaking about how AI and digitalisation will bring in disruption, he said, “Look at how we waste resources today. We believe that labour is cheap. It is not. Rather, we could spend that time in cross skilling or upskilling them and that would bring in the change. Today the power of AI is such that you can have full conversations with it. “

He was speaking in a panel discussion on ‘Digital Transformation: Startup as a Catalyst for Change’ moderated by Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu.

Talking about the challenges that they faced, Mr. Desikan drew the example of emergency management system of Greater Chennai Corporation and said, “In the initial stages, it used to be the cloud when we approached customer as we are a cloud-only platform. The whole perception that cloud is bad in many cases or not very secure sometimes puts fundamental blocks in company’s mind. So winning trust over the customer with what they are observing was key.”

Highlighting the need for a feedback loop, Tamizh Inian, founder, CEO, Frigate Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. said: “I believe in taking MSMEs global. You have to become a global vendor so that their margins can raise. If they do operation efficiency using digital there would be a lot of benefit for them. Even if you implement any policy, we also need to be able to get feedback. There has to be a feedback loop from the MSMEs. There has to be a structured format of policy for every sector based on their revenue. That’s how all the players would benefit.”

Pointing to the range anxiety that people might feel when they own an electric vehicle, as one of the challenges in the sector, Phunith Kumar V., CPO, co-founder Raptee HV said: “The best way to solve it is by having a better charging infrastructure or better energy density technology than making a vehicle run longer on a single charge. Putting on bigger battery pads is not going to solve it. These are the things we need to work on.”