by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
History has witnessed tyrants whose names are etched in infamy—Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and others who drenched continents in blood and sorrow. Hitler’s regime was responsible for the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of over millions of Jews, and his war of aggression caused the deaths of nearly 70 to 85 million people worldwide during World War II. Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, invaded Ethiopia in 1935, killing hundreds of thousands, and was complicit in Nazi atrocities. Stalin, though remembered for industrializing the Soviet Union, orchestrated the Great Purge and state-induced famines, particularly in Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of more than 20 million people. These were men whose legacies are not debated—they are condemned. Despite the passage of time and evolving global norms, their ideological descendants still walk among us.
In today’s world, Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Narendra Modi of India represent a modern version of these past tyrants. Both have cultivated global images of democratic leadership, but behind the carefully managed appearances lie brutal records of human rights violations and ethnic persecution. Netanyahu has overseen repeated military operations in Gaza—Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), Operation Protective Edge (2014), and the ongoing 2023-25 Gaza offensive. According to the United Nations and international rights organizations, these Israeli operations have killed over 35,000 Palestinians, including more than 14,000 children, injured tens of thousands, and displaced over 1.7 million people. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble under the pretext of targeting militants.
Narendra Modi’s political rise is rooted in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which took place under his watch as Chief Minister. The riots resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Muslims, with thousands more injured and displaced. Though cleared legally, Modi’s role remains deeply controversial. Under his leadership, India has witnessed a rise in religious extremism, mob lynchings, and hate crimes, especially against Muslims. The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the subsequent lockdown of occupied Kashmir, involving deployment of over 900,000 Indian troops, led to widespread detentions, curfews, and communication blackouts. Since 1989, in Indian-occupied Kashmir alone, more than 100,000 Kashmiris have been killed, over 10,000 women raped, and thousands have disappeared in custody, according to human rights watchdogs.
Both Netanyahu and Modi share not just strategic ties, but also a chilling ideological harmony. Their friendship is rooted in their shared disdain for pluralism, tolerance, and international humanitarian law. From defense deals worth billions of dollars to joint counter-terrorism efforts, Israel and India have strengthened their military alliance significantly. Israel is now among India’s top arms suppliers, and according to intelligence sources, Israel has been actively assisting India in its strategic objectives, including its posture towards Pakistan.
Recently, credible security analysts have highlighted the presence of Israeli military advisors and experts in Indian defense institutions, particularly in training counter-insurgency forces and enhancing electronic surveillance against Pakistan. Some of the drone strikes and precision attacks on the Line of Control (LoC) and near sensitive Pakistani installations bear the hallmark of Israeli tactical doctrine. This collaboration has moved beyond diplomacy and trade—it now constitutes an operational axis against Pakistan and Muslims in the region.
Yet, history teaches us that the powerful often overestimate their reach and underestimate the resilience of nations born through struggle. Pakistan, created through countless sacrifices in 1947, has never shied away from defending its honor. From the wars of 1948, 1965, 1971, to the Kargil conflict in 1999, and more recently, the swift and calibrated response in Operation Swift Retort (2019) after Indian aggression in Balakot, Pakistan has proven it possesses both resolve and capability. Any misadventure involving Israeli-backed Indian aggression will be met with unified resistance.
Pakistan is a nuclear power, with a well-structured, professionally trained defense system. But more than that, it has the will of its people. From the tribal areas to the streets of Karachi, from the mountains of Skardu to the plains of Punjab, Pakistanis unite when their sovereignty is threatened. No force, no alliance, and no conspiracy can break that bond. The dream of disintegrating Pakistan or turning it into a submissive state will remain unfulfilled, as did the dreams of those who underestimated it in the past.
It is a cruel irony that in an age of the United Nations, International Criminal Court, and global human rights advocacy, men like Netanyahu and Modi continue their campaigns of oppression. While Hitler’s gas chambers and Stalin’s Gulags have become symbols of horror, today’s tools are F-16s over Gaza, pellet guns in Kashmir, digital surveillance, and economic suppression. The methods have changed, but the mindset remains the same.
Let it be clear: history may take time, but it never forgets. The tyrants of today will meet the judgment of tomorrow. Just as Hitler and Mussolini were brought down, Netanyahu and Modi’s legacies, too, will be remembered not for their politics, but for the human suffering they left behind. Their names will not be carved on monuments of glory, but written in the footnotes of cruelty. And standing against them will be the people of Gaza, Kashmir, and Pakistan—resilient, unbowed, and unbroken.
