India, the world’s most populous country, is a major economic and political power in South Asia. Known for its vast linguistic, cultural, and geographic diversity, India has a rich history that spans thousands of years, with deep-rooted traditions in philosophy, science, art, and religion. Its large population and vast history mark its economic and cultural importance.
While India’s civilization can be traced to the Harrapan era, that is, 1400 BCE, its modern political boundaries were established in 1947 when it gained independence from British rule. It is now a federal parliamentary democracy with 28 states and 8 union territories, with New Delhi as its capital. India has a democratic system with a multiparty political landscape, with the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party being the two dominant national parties.
As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India is a global hub for technology, manufacturing, and services, while also being an agrarian powerhouse. It is a nuclear-armed state and plays a key role in regional and global geopolitics, maintaining strategic partnerships with various nations.
India is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse countries in the world, home to multiple religions, sects, castes, and tribes. It has more than ten-thousand languages and hundreds of regional dialects, with Hindi and English serving as the two of the 22 official languages. Despite economic progress, India faces challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and environmental concerns, alongside managing its complex social fabric and regional disparities.
This article ignores the simple fact that “talks and terror don’t go together” is also war by other means. In short, both politics (internally) and diplomacy (externally). The alternative: uninterruptedly and uninterruptedly talking has yielded unending Jihad by Islam against India
@ashok
I have been reading your comments.
You are consistently pro Pakistan and pro Jihad.
In talks the problem is, the moment there is any positive development in relations , either there will be a terror attack on Indian soil by ISI or Pakistani PM will be removed, jailed or killed.
If India did not won diplomatically with Pakistan then why Masood Azhar is UN designated terrorist? Why nobody condemn Balakot strikes? Why World Bank allows India to build dams ? Why Pakistan placed in fatf grey-list? Why nobody raises Kashmir issue in UN (not even China)? Why Pakistan could not hang Kulbhushan Jadhav till now even after it’s all powerful Pakistan military court said so?
Why can’t be India’s “Pakistan policy” continued to be simply ignoring the Pakistan?
Why can’t be India’s “Pakistan policy” continued to be HOT LOC , very high retaliation for terrorist stick and installingIisrael border fencing system throughout the border?
Do you think Pakistan will not divert the Taliban jihadis to India after the US-Taliban piece process complied like last time Pakistan did after US & USSR withdraw from Afghanistan?.
The basic premise of the article is incorrect. India hasn’t lost any diplomatic battles. In fact, what Pakistan wants is the appearance of negotiation to change the perception that they are not the breeding ground for terrorists. Ultimately, what this author is selling the same old idea – negotiate. If Pakistan wants negotiations, let them do something irreversible like turning over Dawood Ibrahim and the D-Company. That will send a message to the world that they are indeed changing. Words are cheap. How many Kargils, Pathankots, Balakots, Mumbai bomb blasts, Mumbai terror attacks will it take for Shivam Vij to learn?
Making Pakistan go bankrupt by making it increase its defense expenditure is the best way. Keep the LOC hot using artillery and other methods forcing Pakistan to retaliate and go bankrupt in the process. Diplomacy is done from a position of strength. Talks are important but the timing is more. Also talk to whom, Imran Khan or the Pakistani military or the Jihadis? Who is controlling whom? or does the author want to talk to all three together. Pakistan uses talks as a leverage to get more loans with International lenders which are then diverted to Jihadis who attack India.
Keep the LOC hot and wait for Pakistan to burn itself out. THEN start talks
Exactly!
Pakistan is on a cliff. A little push is all it will take for a free fall to start. First economically and then politically.
We need to exhaust them in trying to match up militarily to India at LoC and otherwise. Talks are useless when our adversary aims at our disintegration, and uses talks only to bide time and build up strength only to fight us another day.
Diplomacy need not be seen as war by other means. For a developing country – India and Pakistan are within a few hundred dollars of each other in per capita income – it can create an enabling, empowering environment for national resources and energy to be focused on economic development and the removal of mass poverty. The stubborn refusal to talk to Pakistan is not yielding anything of value. As the column realistically notes, resuming a dialogue may not achieve anything substantial in the near term. However, it would be good to drain the toxicity that has built up. Diplomacy with Pakistan and a political initiative with Kashmir should both be given a fair chance to succeed.
What’s the linkage between talks and per capita? Did Simla agreement lead to increase in per capita on both sides? Or did Pakistan stop supporting 26/11 culprits? Kuch bhi!!!!
Peace dividend …
Yes. Peace of the graveyard
By your logic, US should never have talked to North Korea as their per capita income are far apart!
And by political initiative in kashmir do you mean accepting those who murder people in the name of freedom/religion, as the leaders and representatives of the valley??