Why did India’s narrative on Operation Sindoor fail to evoke support internationally against Pakistan? Why was the world seemingly indifferent when Pakistani leaders threatened the use of nuclear weapons against India? Is India being held to a higher standard?
Indian diplomats at a panel discussion last weekend, say it all boils down to how individual countries see their national interests. While in the past Pakistan’s presence in a gaggle of Western security alliances (SEATO, CENTO), ensured military, diplomatic and even financial support, in later years it was Islamabad’s role as a facilitator that saw China open its doors to the West.
Not to forget, Pakistan’s role as a US ally during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. There is of course the nuclear issue.
“Pakistan has 24 crore people and nuclear weapons,” said Ambassador Vivek Katju, former head of the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan desk in the External Affairs Ministry. “The idea of instability in Pakistan is inconceivable in the international community.”
This was one of the reasons why India was the lone voice in the IMF against a loan being offered to Pakistan.
“We could have taken the moral high point to say that we are not against the Pakistan people, that we are against the terrorists and those who support the terrorist infrastructure,” said Vivek Katju. “But that since the IMF loan is for the Pakistan people, we will not come in the way.”
The world is not an ideal place where justice and equity prevails, Katju pointed out. Pakistan despite its history of deceit and untrustworthy conduct, which is widely known, is still seen as useful, whether in passing messages to China, negotiating with jihadi groups or allowing its territory to be used for intelligence and surveillance purposes.
Ambassador Raghavan, who served as a former high commissioner to Pakistan, thinks there may be no substantive engagement with Islamabad in the near future.
“In the months ahead we are not going to find an international environment which is wholly conducive to our line of thinking because while countries will sympathise with us for the terrorism factor which we have to contend with, they will also give weightage both to the nuclear flashpoint issue and also look at Pakistan’s position in the Indus Waters Treaty with much greater sympathy than we expect.”
