On April 22nd, Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, was the site of a deadly terrorist attack. This has now led to a spiralling offensive between India and Pakistan, edging closer and closer to war. However, it is important to remember that India was the first to strike within direct Pakistani territory as a part of its “Operation Sindoor”. This is the same modus operandi followed by the Narendra Modi government during the Uri strikes of 2016 and the Balakot airstrikes of 2019. But before the Modi government, during the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Manmohan Singh government chose diplomacy over military retaliation despite strong domestic pressure to strike Pakistan and intense public anger.
By using diplomacy, the Singh government was able to make sure that the sympathy and the world’s thought stayed with India as a victim of the brutal crime and not an aggressor. They were able to get the masterminds behind the attacks declared as international terrorists (supported by the US, agreed even by China and Saudi Arabia), isolate Pakistan internationally, levy sanctions and international intelligence power against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), rendering them ineffectual. As a result, in the long run, India not only neutralised all the terrorist organisations behind these attacks, but also gained popularity as a supporter of peace and international diplomacy.
All of this happened while the 2008 Financial Crash played out, and back then, the Indian government decided it was no time to throw itself into a war. Yet, the current Modi government, despite all economic signs pointing to a recession and an extremely uncertain world trade situation thanks to Donald Trump, decided to launch a counter-offensive directly into the territory of Pakistan, not just Kashmir.
At this moment, India, the self-acclaimed leader of the Global South, should’ve showcased itself as a stable and safe place for trade and investment as the USA and China engage in an ever-increasing trade war. This could have been India’s opportunity to finalise trade deals with the EU and many other big economies. This was exactly what Narendra Modi also planned to do before he cancelled his Europe visit scheduled for May 13. Yet, here we are, as India committed its biggest affront of the century and at the same time lost the opportunity to prove itself as an economic giant, and may have just lost any claim it had for a permanent security council seat.
Teja is the Publication Manager of The Governance Post and is a Master’s Student in Public Policy at the Hertie School.
This brief article is part of our new ‘Monday Takes’ series. Do you want to submit a take as well, for example for next Monday? Check out the submission form (opening each Tuesday).