India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, May 10, with their guns falling silent after four days of intense drone, missile and artillery fire. However, even the slightest spark could reignite the conflict in the region. For the first time since May 7, when India launched Operation Sindoor, which threatened to drag the two adversaries into a full-scale war, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his country on Monday, May 12, with a speech that was not intended to provide reassurance.

Modi appeared, his face grim, raising a menacing index finger and wearing a red jacket, the color of sindoor, the powder married Hindu women wear at the roots of their hair. India's eponymous operation aimed to avenge a terrorist attack in Kashmir that claimed 26 civilian lives. In his speech, Modi, a Hindu nationalist, condemned his adversary and stated that he had "just suspended" military operations. He said that the Indian armed forces – the Army, Air Force, Navy, Border Security Force and other paramilitary forces – would stay "constantly on alert." "Now, Operation Sindoor is India's policy against terrorism. Operation Sindoor has carved out a new benchmark in our fight against terrorism. (…) We have just suspended our retaliatory action against Pakistan's terror and military camps. In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan on the criterion of what sort of attitude Pakistan will adopt ahead."

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