Diplomacy is regarded as the art of dialogue; this dialogue manifests itself in negotiations. When everything fails, it is considered that only diplomacy can provide a breakthrough in deadlocks. However, what if the party with which a country seeks to hold a dialogue is an entity that has repeatedly violated the basic norms of conduct in the comity of nations?
In the Indian context, that entity is Pakistan. In recent days, various senior personalities from the fields of diplomacy, armed forces, and now politics have urged a “dialogue with Pakistan.” These people argue that the Kashmir dispute in general and peace in South Asia in particular hinges on successful talks with Pakistan.
However, advocating for talks with a terror-state, in the view of this writer, is a Himalayan blunder. This matter, therefore, needs a thorough analysis.
Logic of the Pakistani Deep State
Formed on August 14, 1947, Pakistan was established on the plank of the two-nation theory pioneered by polarising figures such as Mohammed Iqbal and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Since that time, Pakistan has always considered India to be its enemy number 1. In this context, the Pakistani deep state has played a critical role in sustaining that narrative of hostility over the years.
The Pakistani army has always raised the Kashmir issue and communal issues of ‘Muslims in danger’ to boost its sagging reputation among the Pakistani masses. This has succeeded every time, clearly showing that Pakistan cannot be trusted
In her book Fighting to the End—The Pakistan Army’s Way of War, noted political scientist C Christine Fair argued that narratives have played a key role in enhancing the legitimacy of the Pakistani deep state. Among the narratives, “India as the eternal enemy”, “Hindus are weak”, and “establishing Ghazwa-e-Hind” are key.
Whenever the Pakistani army has faced off against India in conventional hostilities and ended up getting comprehensively defeated, the stakeholders in the General Headquarters (GHQ) and ISI have raked up the territorial issue of Kashmir and communal issues of “Muslims in danger” to boost their sagging reputation among the Pakistani masses. This has succeeded every single time, clearly showing that Pakistan cannot be trusted.
Never Ignore History
Niccolo Machiavelli, the renowned Italian diplomat and author, argued in his timeless treatise The Prince that history is anchored in human nature, which follows a general pattern. In this context, he urged rulers to learn from history. He, however, cautioned that failure to learn from history would end up undermining the stability of the state. This prescription assumes critical significance in the context of India’s current relations with Pakistan.
Pakistan has a history of backstabbing India. Whenever we sought dialogue, the Pakistani nation took it as a sign of weakness on the part of India. For instance, following the 1999 Lahore bus trip by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India was stabbed in the back by Pakistan in the form of the Kargil war, which was followed by terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and the dastardly attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.
Pakistan’s hands are filled with the blood of innocent Indian citizens. Pakistan will never change, so if India chooses to engage with Pakistan, it will end up undoing all the hard gains of the past decade and a half, isolating Pakistan on the world stage
In December 2015, India again reached out to Pakistan; this time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a personal visit to Lahore. January 2016 saw Pakistan once again take for granted India’s initiatives of peace, and we had to deal with the terror attack at the Pathankot airbase in Punjab.
Come April 22, 2025, terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked Pahalgam in Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of 22 innocent lives. What, however, has changed is that Pakistan’s terror misadventure is dealt with firmly through measures designed to inflict disproportionate costs on those using terrorism as a tool of statecraft.
However, this pitch for dialogue with the epicentre of terrorism in South Asia appears as a case of strategic amnesia, where the establishment often forgets the lessons of Pakistan’s hands filled with the blood of innocent Indian citizens. Pakistan will never change, so if India chooses to engage with Pakistan, it will end up undoing all the hard gains it has won over the past decade and a half, isolating Pakistan on the world stage.
In addition to this, any dialogue with Pakistan will constitute an insult to the victims of the terror machinery that Islamabad continues to sponsor and grow. Hence, it is absolutely high time the government of India reiterates its iron-clad commitment to the principle of “talks and terror cannot go together.”
Crucially, India’s aim must be to tighten the noose around Islamabad’s terror machinery to the extent that the Pakistani deep state is forced to dismantle its homegrown terror apparatus or capitulate to India.
–The writer is currently working as a Research Associate at Defence Research and Studies (dras.in) and is a columnist. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
