It's not about the 45 martyrs. India just discovered after 40 years of Pakistan's nuclear armament and 30 years of insurgency in Kashmir, that it can carry out a military strike inside Pakistan-proper without a nuclear response from Pakistan.
It doesn't matter that the Pakistani military responds to Indian strikes with a conventional or sub-conventional retaliation. We can handle that.
India has called Pakistan's nuclear-retaliation bluff, and now it can respond to every major terrorist attack on Indian soil with a conventional military response on Pakistani soil.
That is what makes February 2019 a monumental month for India. Not just revenge for 45 martyrs.
Pakistan is very scared, because the impunity they thought they had with their nuclear arsenal is now naught. Their insecurity is back to 1971-levels.
What's going to happen next is a mini arms race between India and Pakistan on conventional military hardware, such as UCAVs, recon UAVs, advanced infantry gear, stealth aircraft, AD, etc. India can outspend Pakistan in this department.
Put out one PR about ManPADS. UAV activity will drop like a rock.
Actually the nuclear bluff was called long back - The Kargil conflict!!!
Pakis had the gumption to occupy Indian territory right after both India and Pakistan publicly declared their nuclear status (even though each possessed the weapons covertly for a while) because Pakis strongly felt that India would NOT attempt to dislodge the occupiers (of the heights) for the fear of uncontrolled escalation leading up to a nuclear exchange! Pakis even calculated that the entire world community will strongly bear down on India to stand down, for the fear of escalation leading up to a nuclear exchange. That was the crux of the Paki Kargil plan!
However, their miscalculation was quite evident when Vajpayee famously told a fearful Clinton that Pakis can try their hand at nuclear bomb, and he would ensure that the entire nation of Pakistan will never see another sunrise! Vajpayee literally called Paki bluff.
After the Kargil war everyone in India was convinced that 'limited conflicts' was possible under the nuclear umbrella, even though Pakis would cry to the whole world that India should continue to endure the Pak sponsored jihadis because there was no room for 'limited conflict'!
Operation Parakram was also ordered under the nuclear umbrella! (it's another thing that India couldn't strike effectively due to long mobilization process). 'Cold start' was created, with the intention to engage in 'limited strike' under nuclear umbrella!
Unlike Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh succumbed to Paki/US blackmail and refrained from bombing Muridke after 26/11 (even though the military planners were quite confident of containing the escalation).
Despite all this what India felt was sacrosanct and inviolable was the LOC, the border and defense-but-no-first-aggression. It was felt that India would not violate these 'lines' in an aggressive role! The current airstrikes has proved that India won't give a shit for the LOC/border when its national security is at stake! That's what is making the Pakis shake in their boots. It seems the Balakot camp was deemed most secure as it was beyond POK, where Pakis could never conceive an Indian intrusion.
