Leading one of the seven outreach groups which travelled to 33 countries to communicate India’s new normal on Pakistan-backed terrorism was an eye-opening experience. I have had the honour of leading many such delegations in the past, but this one stood out.
For starters, conventional wisdom suggested that the countries our delegation visited—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait. Bahrain and Algeria, all Islamic nations—would be difficult to deal with, if not outright hostile. What we encountered was refreshingly different.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sustained efforts, over a decade, to build relationships with these countries and their rulers, previously long neglected, have led to a dramatic shift in their outlook towards India. This has also been greatly aided by India’s rapid economic growth—the fastest among large nations for several years now. Beyond booming trade and investment, tangible proof lies in recent military cooperation and joint exercises with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
There was a distinct sense that, despite their longstanding ties with Pakistan, and sympathy for its people, these countries increasingly see Pakistan as a “problem child”. Three powerful developments underscore this divergence.
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First, these nations have themselves been victims of terrorism—including from Pakistan-trained Salafist groups. They also suffered attacks from Islamic State and Al Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden was shielded for years by a persistently duplicitous Pakistan. These countries have since taken strong steps to curb terrorism, and clearly understand the security threats that India faces.
Second, these countries have embraced internal reforms and cracked down on religious extremism and jihadi support systems. In stark contrast, Pakistan has continued to blatantly support, fund, train, and arm terrorists and terror organisations—proscribed by the UN Security Council, the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and India.
Third, these nations have developed dramatically over the decades, which can be seen in the quality of their infrastructure, schools, medical facilities, etc. Some of these countries have given financial assistance to Pakistan for development. Instead, Pakistan, as it has with development funds it has wangled from the US, International Monetary Fund and other benefactors, has siphoned off and misused those funds, including for backing terrorism.
Operation Sindoor has moved from kinetic responses to political outreach, and now it moves into the next phase: economic sanctions. That is not only about Indus Waters Treaty, but also about shutting down trade, shipping and visas. This has already panicked Pakistan’s leadership, with several military and political leaders openly threatening further violence against India.
Such threats should not be taken lightly, and they will not. Pakistan’s seemingly crazy and irrational behaviour reveals a method to the madness—when seen from the perspective of its military, which orchestrates these tactics. It hardly matters to them that the Pakistani people continue to live in misery, with crores of children not being in school, pathetic quality of education and health care, food shortages, radicalisation and spiralling violence.
Pakistan military’s capture of the state means its officers get a vastly higher share of the nation’s resources, going far beyond the official budget allocations it receives. By some estimates, the Pakistani military grabs 10 times more of that benighted nation’s GDP as compared to what other militaries do. This deep entrenchment explains their unflinching support for terror despite global condemnation, periodic gruesome attacks, and orchestrated efforts to milk funds from multilateral agencies and geopolitical players.
It will take sustained vigilance and firm will to impair Pakistan’s military-political complex from continuing on its destructive path.
Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda is National Vice President of the BJP and a member of the Lok Sabha.