Post Pulwama - way forward

There is no substitute to professionalism. Immaculately executed air ambush of two professional fighter pilots cost India two jets, yet saved 1.5 billion inhabitants of subcontinent a gargantuan disaster.
The more I pondered over the genesis, the more I got convinced that it started in 712 AD. Centuries of enslavement by Muslim 'invaders' followed by couple of centuries of British rule, left Hindus bitter, battered & insecure. The older the disease, the longer it may take to heal. It would be unrealistic to assume that seventy years of independence can make up for seven hundred years of subjugation. Psychological scars of protracted subjection are not going away in foreseeable future. Since one cannot choose his neighbors, we need to learn to live with this menace of extremist nationalist bully across our eastern borders. And no wonder, bullies are cowards.
So how do we psych ourselves up to deal the psycho next door.
First thing's first, 'put your house in order'. Home front is the real front. Our adopted way of governance is through democratic process. Two complete terms & we are already reaping the benefits. People have rejected the thugs & gave a chance to new party & leadership. This nation owes alot to Raheel Sharif who distanced Army from running the affairs of the state. Institutions like judiciary & NAB were given enough confidence to call the shots. New look establishment is over-arching & pro-Pakistan. And if Pakistaniat is at the core, then names don't matter whether Bajwa Doctrine or else.
Institutional empowerment however, is a continuous process & it must flourish if Pakistan has to realise its full potential. As it stands, we are on course.
Secondly sychronization of military establishment with the government on matters concerning national security is a force multiplier & Pulwama incident endorses this notion. There were apprehensions that once the honey moon between newly sworn in PTI government & military establishment is over, things can get fractous. But IK has grown in stature & has made many critics eat their words including the scribe. Since the critique was not based on some petty personal issue rather concerns over well being of Pakistan, there is no harm admitting an honest failure of judgement.
Thirdly, NAP must be implemented in true letter and spirit. No holds barred. In total execution of NAP rests the emergence of Pakistan as uniquely ideological, modern yet balanced Muslim state which finally is rearing to take the course set forth by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Fourthly, none of the above is possible without economic stability. After intial turbulence, the flight is being stabilized. A long way to go. Finanace Minister, instead of latching on to Bilalwal boy in parliament may focus on giving some results because economy is stil teetering.
Lastly, CPEC is critical. Chinese have invested in Pakistan longer than Pakistanis themselves. Its time to reap benefits of this association. We have already paid the price for this project & we just have to cross it over the finish line.
On foreign front, our decades long investment in Afghan Taliban is nearing fruition. We should not get any wrong ideas for accolades emanating from Washington DC, they just need us to broker the deal for face saving exit. They will turn on us once they don't need us. But real game is in our neighborhood, if we could tag along Aghan Taliban, our one end will be secure.
Current situation with India will see thawing once BJP Government hands over power to caretaker setup. This can result in two possible scenarios. One that BJP comes to power again. In which case, it wouldn't need war rattling for another four & a half years till elections season before next term. Two that congress takes over New Delhi which seems more likely of the two. Third generation Congress leadership in Rahul Gandhi & co would be more inclined to regional peace than jingoistic nationalists. Either way, war is not in sight for more than one reasons like presence of well primed battle hardened Pakistan Army which betters Indian Army on nuclear/missile technologies, air/training & conventional/ sub-conventional war fronts.
Our foreign office is headed by a Foreign Minister which is a blessing. Proactive diplomacy is the way forward. We need to play on our strengths. End of the day, its not about friendships like in our social settings, its all about national interests. We should get closer to Russia. Strengthen ties with Turkey. Bolster image of the country on every world forum. Use platform of IMCTC to our advantage. Because even if the tide is favorable, someone has to ride it.
Finally, there is no substitute to professionalism. Army cliché, sweat in peace saves blood in war never fit better than Pulwana incident. Had those boys not trained hard in peace, they could have not pulled the marvel of air war history, like they did on 27 February 2019. This kind of professionalism at all state institutions is the distance we have to travel to reach our full potential. 
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.