Their is a exchange and their is a fair exchange. Getting 1400 sqkm and giving 35000 sqkm is not a very equitable deal. Bet the Chinese are not complaining.
I was physically at this seminar where Fair argued against the Indians. Not at this balakot discussion but at a discussion the day before, on Afghanistan where she made some fantastic claims. She compared the Punjab 80s terrorism to the American occupation of Afghanistan. The above comparison was so absurd even i a civilian was shocked by her incoherence. As per her the Americans were losing in Afghanistan because they could not take repressive action against the Afghans like "India had taken against the sikhs".
Now this auditorium was full of civilians, retired ppl and school kids (who were guiding the attendees). And being in chandigarh, was half full of sikhs, who knew indepth the Punjab issue. And her constant use of profanities, including on the stickers of her laptop , was offputting for many. She looked and sounded unhinged. The school kids in their school uniforms were around 12 years in age.
She disappointed many their with her shallow discussion points inspite of being a professor. . This was the day before the balakot discussion. I feel with the Afghanistan withdrawal imminent, she was trying to suck up to the Pakistanis to ensure a smooth withdrawal.
My point being, you are giving too much importance to a person just because she is a westerner.
The balakot attack was pathbreaking not because it might have killed terrorists, but it showed that india was ready for punitive action against Pakistan, shelving the nuclear argument.
