Daily Times

Arguably, India lacks a coherent, consistent and prudent policy towards Pakistan-a fact underlined and lamented by the commentators on the Indo-Pak ties. The New Delhi’s Pakistan policy steeped in adhocism and antagonism, alternates between aggressive posture and cosmetic peace overtures.

The shifting and visionless Indian approach to Islamabad, has cost peace in the region dearly. Consequently, there a complete policy muddle vis-à-vis the country and Indian myopic foreign policy planners have been unable to solve the Pakistan riddle because the directionless search for the holy grail of Indian foreign policy is based on the approach devoid of any concern for peace and spirit of meaningful engagement. The entry of Modi with all his madness in the power corridors, has added a new dimension to the existing policy confusion as his mercurial temperament and insatiable tendency for using Pakistan card for the political mileage and cover at home, has further clouded the prospects of good neighbourly bilateral ties.

Being emboldened by the rising geo-economic profile and the US appeasement driven by the unholy convergence of Indo-American interests in the so-called Indo-pacific region, the ultra-nationalist Modi govt reading from RSS playbook, appears poised to position and anchor India as a global power with absolute hegemony in South Asia condescendingly viewed as its backyard. However, India is confronted by the self-inflected policy dilemma while pursuing its global power aspirations without managing its immediate neighbourhood seething with resentment against the hegemonic Indian designs. Thus, New Delhi is unable to break out of the sub-continental geo-politics due to myopic and moribund policy and posture towards Pakistan that is the only formidable bulwark against the Indian dominance in the region. Riding high on the public support amid depleted opposition at home, Modi govt was supposed to break the mould and devise a robust and crystal-clear Pakistan policy paving the way for amicable resolution of all the bilateral disputes. Ironically, he has continued to harp on the same strings by blowing hot and cold regarding Pakistan.

India’s current policy towards Islamabad is more of an inconsequential cocktail than a coherent policy with any iota of vision and concern for a peaceful South Asia. In order to solve its Pakistan problem once and for all, Modi has come to employ and proactively purse an incoherent and futile strategy sucking India deeper into sub-continental rivalry rather than untangling her from it. The deeper dissection  of the present Indian policy towards Pakistan reveals that the game plan for Islamabad, is based on the two-pronged strategy with belligerent and bullying tactics at its heart. Shutting off all communication channels, perennial pressure along LoC, threat of surgical strikes, imposing regional and international isolation, economic strangulation through weaponisation of water, demonization of the country by projecting it as the mothership of terrorism, territorial encirclement in tandem with Afghanistan, are the toxic ingredients of the external prong of the policy. In addition to the external push, exploitation of sectarian strife, ethic fault lines and civil-military divide and destabilisation by terror outfits like TTP based in Afghanistan, are the constituents of the internal vector that seeks to put pressure on the country from within. In essence, the so-called two-dimensional pressure policy, seeks to put a strategic squeeze on the country by synchronising the elements of external and internal pressure that are the two cardinal components of the Indian convoluted approach to tackle Pakistan, by raising the cost of rivalry with India.

India’s current policy towards Islamabad is more of an inconsequential cocktail than a coherent policy with any iota of vision and concern for a peaceful South Asia. In order to solve its Pakistan problem once and for all, Modi has come to employ and proactively pursue an incoherent and futile strategy sucking India deeper into sub-continental rivalry

Furthermore, the inclusion of CPEC in the geo-strategic calculus of Pakistan, has added to the sense of urgency in Indian strategic circles desperate to bring about paradigm shift in Islamabad’s position towards India by putting the country in a nutcracker situation. Rather than viewing it as an opportunity for regional connectivity, the Indians are apprehensive that the game-changing Chinese initiative will put Pakistan on the geo-economic map of the world, enhancing its economic vitality and vigour critical to neutralise the US-endorsed Indian efforts oriented to fundamentally and permanently alter the security architecture of the South Asia to her advantage.

The current Indian way of dealing with Pakistan, is premised on the combination of external and internal pressure approach. If history of Indo-Pak relations is any guide, such Indian muscular policy has yielded no any desired results in the past and is turning out to be counterproductive, not only broadening but also complicating the contours of conflict between the two countries where human security remains over showed by the imperatives of state security. Nevertheless, as illustrated by the Indian government’s outright rejection of peace overtures by the new government of Imran khan, Modi is unlikely to recalibrate his adversarial policy as Pakistan-bashing comes very handy to woo Indian electorate and use it as a diversionary tactic when the ruling party in India is incapable of match its the tall electoral promises with tangible action.

India is a big country that cannot afford to think small when it comes to dealing with her neighbours especially Pakistan that views new Delhi as a primary security threat to its territorial integrity as the Arjun ,an Indian third generation main battle tank  cannot cross the mighty Himalayas and attack China. Indian strategic planners need to think big if India has to play a bigger role in the global arena. Modi must replace his hawkish approach towards Pakistan with peace diplomacy direly needed for a peaceful co-existence and shifting the focus and resources away from state security to human security in the region.

The writer is a PhD Scholar (IR) at National University of Modern Languages Islamabad (NUML). He can be reached at Email: mahar.munawar2017@outlook.com . Twitter: @munawarmahar

Published in Daily Times, October 21^st 2018.