POV: Aritra NaskarDate: October 5, 2012Location: Jadavpur Villa – Subterranean War Room, Kolkata & Islamabad Metropolitan AreaTime: 1:45 AM IST
The torches lining Jadavpur Villa's hidden corridor cast flickering shadows on the damp stone walls as I descended for the third time in three nights. The air smelled of sandalwood and electricity—our war room's servers humming in anticipation. At a steel‐reinforced table sat Major General Raghav Sen, Lieutenant General Mehra, RAW Director Vikram Chopra, and Katherine Naskar, her sari's cobalt edge glinting under the LED uplink panels. A world map of South Asia rotated overhead, Islamabad pulsing crimson at its center.
RAW Director Chopra tapped his comm‐tablet, voice low. "Gen. Sen, Islamabad's power grid is scheduled for nightly maintenance at 2:30 AM PST—0015 IST. Our window to seize commanding heights and shut communications is thirty minutes."
General Sen nodded. "Operation White Lotus commences at 0015. Aritra, you have the floor."
I rose, heart steady. "White Lotus Phase One: Covert Infiltration and Reconnaissance. At 0015 IST, two stealth gliders—code‐named Lotus Skimmer Alpha and Lotus Skimmer Bravo—will launch from INS Sarosh's submarine‐hold 350 km south of Karachi. Each carries a quad‐drone squadron—ingridients of Drone Sentinel, Drone Mirage, Drone Eclipse, and Drone Prism—plus two XC-9 Sentinel APCs stripped of their armored shells for urban stealth insert."
I tapped the holo‐map: two arcs traced from the Arabian Sea northward, skirting Indian and Pakistani EEZs. "Gliders glide at 20,000 ft to avoid radar, descend to 2,500 ft at 32.0000° N, 68.0000° E, then release APCs. Drones deploy in stealth mode at 1,500 ft, thermal‐optic sweep across the Islamabad perimeter."
Katherine added, "Phase Two: Target Seizure." She touched her tablet: the map zoomed on the Red Zone—Parliament House, President's Secretariat, PTV Station, and Pakistan Army General Headquarters on Rawalpindi border. "APCs will drive via D-12 corridor, using Gibson's pre‐mapped underground service tunnels to reach the auditorium beneath Parliament House (33.6900° N, 73.0580° E)."
General Sen's gaze was fierce. "Tunnels are lightly guarded. We'll deploy two SIG–9 teams at tunnel entrances—neutralize sentries with silent Fusion Pulse Cannon in Stun Mode."
I tapped a key and the holo-map highlighted three NSG‐marked points. "Once inside, Phase Two-A:
Parliament House Auditorium: Capture the Speaker, disable PA system.
President's Secretariat: Secure Command Center, detain key ministers.
PTV Station: Cut broadcast, loop pre‐recorded solidarity message.
GHQ Checkpoint: Station Sentinel APC to block reinforcements."
Rhea Mukherjee, standing by the server stacks, spoke up. "Drone Sentinel and Mirage will remain in hover mode above Red Zone, relaying encrypted live‐feed to Omega Command. Eclipse and Prism handle perimeter jamming: Prism disrupts local radar at 2,700 MHz; Eclipse injects false loop in CCTV networks."
Lieutenant General Mehra exhaled. "We cannot afford technical hiccups. Electronic warfare must be flawlessly timed."
I nodded. "Phase Three: Power Cut & Communications Shutdown. At precisely 0020 IST, Drone Eclipse triggers the Portable EMP Conduit at Islamabad Electric Grid Station (33.6845° N, 73.0446° E). A localized EMP pulse—50 kV/m lasting 0.2 ms—will disable transformers and breaker circuits within a 500‐meter radius, plunging the city into blackout. Simultaneously, Drone Prism targets the PTCL switch node at Blue Area (33.7068° N, 73.0548° E) to sever broadband and cellular networks."
RAW Director Chopra tapped his watch. "We insert at 0015. At 0020, blackout. Phase Two in progress. Phase Four: Government Paralysis & Symbolic Broadcast."
Katherine reached across the table, tapping her tablet to cue the holo‐screen. Underneath a silhouette of Parliament House, text blinked:
Phase Four:
Play President's Message: "This assembly remains suspended under emergency protocol…"
Broadcast loop: "Islamabad is under temporary occupation for public safety. No harm to civilians. Await instructions from National Stabilization Council."
I cleared my throat. "We have pre‐recorded messages from President Zardari, obtained via RAW intercepts—repurposed to declare a caretaker emergency government under Indian‐mandated security oversight. Immediately after the jamming and blackout, the silent crisis message loops on PTV, ARY, and cable networks."
General Sen's eyes flicked to Katherine. "And the International Community?"
She tapped her own console. "Simultaneous live feed to UN Peacekeeping HQ in New York—evidence package smuggled via encrypted Nova Tech satellite link. They'll see the operation's surgical precision and humanitarian disclaimers."
I felt the weight settle in my chest: remote jamming, stealth drones, hidden APCs, EMP blasts—all choreographed within five minutes to bring Islamabad to its knees, avoid bloodshed, and project a political fait accompli.
General Sen nodded. "Commence Operation White Lotus."
Location: Arabian Sea – INS Sarosh Aft DeckTime: 0015 IST (October 5, 2012) / 2100 PST (October 4, 2012)**
Under a moonless sky, the deck crew released two sleek gliders. Their silent descent toward the horizon was guided by star trackers and each carried the hushed promise of global upheaval. Onshore, eight XC-9 APCs primed for remote ignition waited in their bays.
Phoenix Command (INS Sarosh): "Lotus Skimmer Alpha—release APCs."
Electronically latched hatches opened; each APC's electric engines whispered to life. On silent rails, they slid clear and rolled into the darkness.
Location: Islamabad Perimeter & TunnelsTime: 0030 PST / 0130 IST**
At the D-12 corridor edge, Sentinel Echo and Foxtrot paused, infrared canopies illuminating rocky service paths. Two NSG teams, clad in adaptive ghillie suits, slipped into service tunnels. A single low‐frequency pulse from their Fusion Cannons lulled guards into stupor as door locks dimmed under a directed EMP.
Outside, Drone Eclipse's jammer whined softly; Islamabad's radar pings sputtered and vanished. Drone Prism's concealed payload unleashed a digital ghost—CCTV loops replaced live feeds with two minutes of corridor emptiness.
Location: Parliament House Auditorium & President's SecretariatTime: 0032 PST / 0132 IST**
Inside the auditorium, NSG operatives ushered startled MPs to the stage. The Speaker's gavel fell silent as his mic cut out. Overhead speakers, seized by our micro‐Comm tower, broadcast the President's tweaked address.
"Members of Parliament, your House is suspended under emergency security. Please remain calm; no harm will come to civilians. A caretaker council will convene within 48 hours."
Simultaneously, at the President's Secretariat, Bravo's APC docked at the main gate. Drone Sentinel's thermal scan confirmed no hostiles. Engineers in the APC raised silent barriers, sealing the compound. Live‐feed cameras monitored the perimeter as NSG teams detained senior ministers.
Location: Islamabad Electric Grid & PTCL NodeTime: 0040 PST / 0140 IST**
Drone Omega, cloaked at 10,000 ft, relayed the command. Drone Eclipse hovered over the Grid Station, its EMP conduit activating in a precise arc. Switchgear sparks cascaded; overhead transformers clicked offline. In seconds, the city plunged into darkness.
Simultaneously, Drone Prism loomed above the Blue Area. Its digital pulse severed network switches—lights blinked out on smartphone screens, Internet routers went dark.
Across the capital, surprised citizens stumbled into shadows. The silence was deafening.
Location: Islamabad Cityscape & UN Q-HubTime: 0050 PST / 0140 IST**
PTV and cable networks flickered back to life—not with news, but with the looping President's message. Emergency text crawls on bottom rails informed civilians: "Await instructions from National Stabilization Council. Humanitarian corridors open toward Rawalpindi."
At UN Peacekeeping HQ, screens burst with encrypted Nova Tech feeds—thermal overlays, EMP telemetry, drone swarms hovering like phantoms. Council members in New York leaned forward, astonished by the surgical precision of a foreign power's covert action.
Location: INS Sarosh – Arabian SeaTime: 0130 IST / 0145 PST**
As the first hints of dawn crept over the waves, the two gliders returned on pre‐calculated glide paths. Drones and APCs docked; hatches sealed. The deck crew secured each unit, data drives glowed with mission logs, and INS Sarosh altered course southeast, vanishing beneath a pale sky.
Location: Jadavpur Villa – Underground War RoomTime: 0300 IST**
The holo-map above the table now displayed Islamabad in murky gray—no red, no green—just the blank canvas of a fallen capital. Each node blinked: Karachi restored, Vietnam stable, US and Singapore safe, Kashmir and Ghana monitored, and Islamabad… silent.
General Sen rose, removing his cap. "Operation White Lotus is complete. Islamabad has fallen—not through bloodshed, but through the power of precision and transparency. Pakistan's interim government will negotiate terms under global scrutiny."
Katherine rose too, clasping my hand. "This will redefine modern warfare—technology as scalpel, not hammer."
I exhaled, voice low with relief and resolve. "And with every ledger entry and drone flight, we vow to protect life—even as we break the spine of terror."
As dawn's first light pierced Jadavpur's hidden ceiling slits, we knew a new era had begun: one where borders bent under the weight of technology's promise, and where Islamabad's fall rang out as a testament to the unyielding code of transparency.