What does it show?

It shows that not only does India beat Pakistan in ensuring democracy to its citizens, even the Indian part of Kashmir beats the Pakistani part of Kashmir and, in fact, Pakistan itself by a significant measure year after year, consistently, and without fail.

Then why does the conversation in the media and elsewhere seem overwhelming about lack of democracy in the Indian part of Kashmir?

I asked him that question, and he said this was happening “because of two things: biased media coverage and the confidence with which Pakistani politicians lecture India on atrocities in Indian Kashmir”.

“Data shows no erosion of democracy in India between 2014-2018,” he added.

So, what does this example show? Two things – on one side there is propaganda about Kashmir (the Indian side) that has many layers of psychological warfare that most Indians neither understand, nor counter, and on the other, a clownishly jingoistic bunch are trying to push messaging that has repulsed all but the most ardent rabble rouser. (To emphasise, none of this suggests that there isn’t a problem in the Indian side of Kashmir – it is to suggest that the understanding and messaging on that problem remain inadequate.)

As far as messaging on Kashmir, Pakistan and internal security threats go, Indians often find themselves underprepared and easily overwhelmed. This is why there is little understanding about what India attempted this week, which was, in fact a fairly successful operation of coercive diplomacy. There is also no understanding of this phrase or its meaning in the Indian public sphere.