Redrawing Orientalisms: Operation Sindoor and the New Regional Grammar of India, Pakistan and China

The recent crisis following Operation Sindoor is not merely an episode of military escalation; it is emblematic of the deep ideological and narrative fissures that increasingly define South Asian geopolitics. In this context, it is imperative that India defines its own path—neither as a mirror of the West nor as a foil to China—has never been more urgent. This brief interrogates how Operation Sindoor reconfigured regional narratives by colliding with entrenched Orientalist and Occidentalist frames. It critiques India’s reliance on Western counter-terror logics, Pakistan’s strategic narrative reversal, and China’s subtle bid for regional influence. Through this lens, the paper calls for a plural, autonomous Indian strategic doctrine rooted in its civilizational ethos. South Asia’s discursive future hinges on who controls the grammar of legitimacy—no longer West versus East, but competing epistemics in a contested narrative field.