Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks about the relationship between Pakistan and India to an American podcaster are based on a very limited interpretation of the history of the nearly eight-decade-old conflict and are disconnected from reality.
Although there have been many highs and lows in the relationship since partition, Mr. Modi portrayed Pakistan as the antagonist and India as the helpless victim of Islamabad’s cunning plans. The truth is very different. Although both parties have made mistakes, India has been the one to thwart Pakistan’s peace efforts in recent years. The Indian PM’s comments were described as “misleading and one-sided” by the Foreign Office.
Islamabad responded to Mr. Modi’s personal attempts to patch things up with “hostility,” and he appeared “hurt” that Pakistan had waged a “proxy war” against his nation. Interestingly, the Indian leader provided no path to peace, even though the podcast seemed to be nothing more than an attempt to rewrite history and disparage Pakistan.
Therefore, it is evident that India, not Pakistan, is the country that has no interest in promoting unity in South Asia. This nation has been promoting communication, but as the last Champions Trophy fiasco demonstrated, India won’t even play cricket in Pakistan. Pakistan does have its shortcomings, and the government has made mistakes in the past, such as permitting some groups to engage in cross-border adventure travel. However, these are issues of the past, and circumstances have changed.
Furthermore, it should be kept in mind that India has also supported cross-border terrorism in Pakistan, with its malicious actions specifically aimed at Balochistan. The Indian security system has extended its reach to the West, sending assassins to target Sikh activists in the US and Canada, so Pakistan is not the only country affected.
Ahimsa is therefore not exactly the guiding principle of Indian foreign policy, especially under the BJP, which actively interferes in the internal affairs of sovereign governments. In addition, Mr. Modi ought to have remembered how his own intelligence officers contributed to Pakistan’s instability while accusing this nation of being uncooperative.
The reality is that India has rejected Pakistan’s attempts at peacemaking, from undermining Saarc and attempting to diplomatically isolate Pakistan to persistently bringing up the threat of cross-border terrorism. Rather of loudly denouncing Pakistan, India should reexamine its own unfavorable stance.
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