Comment by Riaz Haq on Wednesday

Rabia Akhtar
@Rabs_AA
#India If you can not win your region, how do you expect to win the world?

Mani Shankar Aiyar exposes India’s diplomatic miscalculation and cuts through the BS!

In his article (link below), former diplomat and veteran MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, lays bare a dangerous flaw in India’s post-crisis outreach strategy: ignoring its own neighbourhood. While India dispatches MPs to lobby distant UNSC capitals, it has deliberately sidelined Pakistan and alienated its South Asian neighbours, the very region most affected by Indo-Pak tensions.

Aiyar warns that by bypassing regional diplomacy, India not only violates its own, 'Neighbourhood First' mantra btw, but also risks unraveling the bilateral framework enshrined in the 1972 Simla Agreement opening the door to internationalizing the Kashmir issue, something New Delhi has spent decades avoiding.

India’s gamble isn’t just short-sighted as we can see, it is self-defeating.

Read and engage with his brilliant articulation!

Missions impossible
Parliamentary missions sent abroad aim to build support, but face tough questions on India’s Pakistan policy and nuclear posturing.

https://x.com/Rabs_AA/status/1929967029299401183

------------------
https://frontline.thehindu.com/columns/india-pakistan-diplomacy-uns...

Of course, they do deplore terrorism, but specifically, has any of them gone public about Pakistan-sponsored, Pakistan-supported, Pakistan-financed, or Pakistan-armed terrorism? And were they to do so, what answer would our delegations, constrained by the briefings they have received, give to difficult questions such as: how could we not intercept the terrorists deep on our side of the Line of Control? And why have we apprehended none of them a whole month and more after they committed their dastardly deed? And as three of the six alleged terrorists are Kashmiris, does this reflect “normalisation”?

Even if many of those interacting with our MPs know little of India-Pakistan relations, most would want to know the outcome of the first air battle ever between highly sophisticated Western aircraft like Rafale and little-known Chinese military aircraft. Would they be satisfied, as Indians apparently are, by being blandly told that “losses are expected in combat” and detailed information will be made available at the “right time”? Even assuming that our MPs have been vouchsafed the information of our losses, can they share such information with foreigners while it is being denied to Indians? Will our interlocutors not feel short-changed at their distinguished visitors not imparting to them the vital military information they seek, perhaps even to evaluate for themselves how far China has developed in advanced military technology vis-à-vis the West?

The nuclear option
And will the absence of answers from the Indian MPs make them wary of the answers they get about the one question on which our interlocutors are anxious to satisfy themselves: the nuclear weapons option? After all, even the US Vice President J.D. Vance was distancing himself from involvement so long as it was a question of India acting against cross-border terrorism. But the moment we went beyond terrorist camps in Pakistan and escalated to attacking Pakistan airbases, President Donald Trump took upon himself the task of knocking Indian and Pakistani heads together to halt the escalatory prospect before it crossed the nuclear threshold.

But so long as Operation Sindoor remains open-ended—and not terminated—the possibility remains of another terror attack provoking a resumption of armed conflict at a level higher than what Uri and Pathankot or Pulwama and Pahalgam provoked and taking the world closer to a nuclear confrontation. At that point, the issue remains no longer bilateral but of global concern, for any use of nuclear weapons will have global consequences not limited to national frontiers. Little practical purpose is served by our MPs intoning parrot-like that we will not succumb to Pakistani “nuclear blackmail”.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

Jawhar Sircar
@jawharsircar
This is the first time,
Modi is not invited to join the G7 meeting — though Australia, Brazil, S Africa and even Ukraine are invited.
Why?
Read my piece
“India’s Disastrous Isolation Around the World”

https://x.com/jawharsircar/status/1930353232355762332

---------------

India’s Disastrous Isolation Around the World
Jawhar Sircar

https://thewire.in/diplomacy/indias-disastrous-isolation-around-the...

It is rather strange (and sad) that a fortnight before the big meet of G7 nations in Canada, there is no invitation sent to Modi.

It is pretty clear now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will probably not join the elite G7 meeting in Alberta, Canada, scheduled from June 15 to 17. Alberta is not among the cities he seems to have seen so far in his 152 foreign visits to 72 countries in the last 11 years. So, it’s a bit of a miss on both sides.

However, what he may miss more is not being able to hug the new Canadian PM, Mark Carney (what a relief, after that hostile Trudeau!), the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and his known leaders, like PM Keir Starmer of the UK, French President Emmanuel Macron (after that dreadful family incident) and PM Shigeru Ishiba of Japan.

One is not certain if the glamorous Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni, would welcome a public embrace. As for US President Donald Trump – even he does not know whether he’ll hug Modi for photo ops, or punch him for denying repeatedly and vociferously that he brokered the Indo-Pak ceasefire. Best to stay clear of him while he plans how to pocket Canada as the 51st American state.

It is rather strange (and sad) that a fortnight before the big meet, there is no invitation sent to Modi. After all, he has been a fixture there, rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme of the world’s most powerful capitalist nations, who also flaunt their highest per capita GDP. It really did not strike his enthralled supporters back home that the USA has crossed USD 80,000 as GDP per person. Even the doddering Japan’s per capita GDP is USD 32,000, while the sauntering India’s is around USD 2,800. We hope the snobs did not use this tiny detail to stop Viksit Bharat at the club gate.

----------

It is puerile even to ask whether there is any chance that the seven so-called all-party delegations to 32 countries may swing the world in India’s favour. Some 59 MPs and others – representing mainly the ruling alliance and establishment, as well as some who play footsie with them, may sing together with a few handpicked opposition MPs during their vishwa darshan. But we are stuck where we were. Modi has proved once again that Curzon was a child in the ‘divide and rule’ game and in one stroke, he has satisfied many whining ruling party loyalists who he could not give ministerial berths. But knowing MPs a bit leads me to believe that heart-burning would lap up the disproportionately meagre cost-benefits of the largest parliamentary exercise in global tourism.

A couple of hours spent by these teams with a handful of ‘intellectuals’ or ‘policy makers’ in distant Congo, Guyana or Latvia are unlikely to convince 32 nations to clap for India and against Pakistan. The literal occupation of the Kashmir valley for five years from 2019 rankles just too many, as does the non-stop minority-bashing by cowardly religious fanatics.

India’s annoying arrogance-cum-swagger, which is well above its weight and strength, is quite clear to most well-read citizens and leaders across the globe. It is India and its leadership at home that has to introspect and make course corrections. Perhaps, Dale Carnegie’s immortal How to Win Friends and Influence People, now priced at just Rs 120, may help.

Comment by Riaz Haq yesterday

K. Bhadrakumar
@BhadraPunchline
Who’s afraid of terrorism? We are in an era where terrorism is becoming the preferred weapon to fight hybrid wars. All this global campaign by government against Pakistan may have a good optic domestically but what is the net gain for diplomacy?

https://x.com/BhadraPunchline/status/1930328844059238665

-------------

The multi-party delegation led by the BJP Vice-President and spokesman Bijayant Panda which toured four countries in the Gulf region — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria — to rally support for the government’s war on terror against Pakistan has returned. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar “lauded their efforts,” per media reports.

----------------

His delegation received a warm reception. But the profoundly worrisome reality still continues, namely, the Gulf regimes are taking a ‘proforma’ attitude, voicing hackneyed words on terrorism but also echoing the burgeoning world opinion that India and Pakistan ought to find a solution to their issues through dialogue and negotiations.

The Gulf states have neatly sidestepped Pakistan’s alleged role in Pahalgam. They ask for ‘proof’! The top diplomat of a friendly country apparently remarked a few days ago in a private conversation as an aside that the Pahalgam terrorists physically checking out the religion of their victims first is nothing new in the subcontinent, and cited Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan for reference.

What has Panda’s delegation brought home? Does it make a success story? A member of the delegation later told media in the mother of all quotes, “Every country we visited had already issued statements condemning the Pahalgam terror incident — these were reiterated by them in person to us.” But this is like reinventing the wheel.

------------
Therefore, all this global campaign by our government against Pakistan may have a good optic domestically as our media hypes it up dutifully, but what is the net gain for diplomacy? Even if the whole world were to now bracket Pakistan with the US, UK, Saudi Arabia or Qatar as yet another state sponsoring terrorism, so what? Who cares?

Today’s papers have reported that according to a list of chairs of the subsidiary bodies of the UN that monitor international terrorism, Pakistan holds responsible positions as co-chair of the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council for 2025 and the Counter-terrorism Committee. Pakistan will also be the co-chair of the informal working groups on documentation and other procedural questions as well as the general UN Security Council sanctions issues.

---

On the other hand, thanks to the Biden administration and Five Eyes, an impression gained ground in recent years that Indian government is sponsoring assassination of political opponents abroad as a matter of statecraft. Not only have we suffered some ‘reputational damage,’ but the Pakistani claim that it too is a victim of terrorism gained traction. Countries seem to hyphenate India with Pakistan. It has become necessary for Delhi to disown responsibility when a train derails in Baluchistan or an improvised explosive device blows up a Pakistani army convoy or some notorious jihadi fellow meets with unnatural death on the streets of Lahore and Karachi.

This is becoming a vicious cycle which only helps to call attention to the unresolved Kashmir problem as posing threat to regional and international security. Put differently, ‘terrorism’ in the India-Pakistan context has become the objective co-relative of the Kashmir problem and Hindu-Muslim strife. Trump’s caustic remark about the millennial war speaks for itself.

It is high time that the ‘war on terror’ is removed from our diplomatic toolbox. Certainly, our parliamentarians have no role in it. As for the optics domestically, resort to some other means. By all means, meet terrorism with coercion — if that indeed helps. Deploy what Joseph Nye called ‘smart power’. But neither expect external support, nor canvass for it.

Comment by Riaz Haq 10 hours ago

FJ
@Natsecjeff
Indian delegations visiting foreign countries to complain about Pakistan have reinforced in the minds of everyone they met that India is a country that is obsessed with Pakistan.

- Indian expert

https://x.com/Natsecjeff/status/1931049255986422103

-----------------


FJ
@Natsecjeff
India's Diplomatic Bungle: Pak to Helm UNSC Anti-terror panels | THE WIRE WRAP

https://x.com/Natsecjeff/status/1931042937560768605

---------------

https://youtu.be/4jC_BKBAY04?si=H1XK5QadRwexTajm

Jun 6, 2025 #thewirewrap #shashitharoor #indiapakistan
General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has become the first Indian official to confirm that the Indian Air Force lost some fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan. That this admission has come abroad and not made domestically has raised questions. And 7 teams of multi party delegations are already on their way back to India with most teams having concluded their diplomatic outreach following Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor with the jury still out on what these delegations have achieved as Pakistan has been appointed to key counter-terrorism bodies at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The Wire's Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor, The Wire and Anuradha M. Chenoy, adjunct professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs.

Comment by Riaz Haq 2 hours ago

China Offers Pakistan J-35A Stealth Fighters, KJ-500 AWACS, and HQ-19 Air Defense Systems

https://defensetalks.com/china-offers-pakistan-j-35a-stealth-fighte...

The Government of Pakistan has officially confirmed that it has received an offer from China for a major defense package aimed at enhancing the country’s airpower and strategic defense capabilities. The announcement was made through the government’s official X (formerly Twitter) account earlier today.

According to the statement, the proposed package includes:

• 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jets
• An undisclosed number of KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft
• An undisclosed number of HQ-19 long-range air and missile defense systems

The J-35A, developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, represents a major leap in low-observable multirole air combat capabilities. Featuring stealth design, internal weapon bays, and advanced avionics, it is expected to significantly strengthen Pakistan’s deterrence posture and regional air superiority ambitions.

The KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft will provide 360-degree battlefield surveillance, airspace monitoring, and enhanced command and control capabilities, key to supporting high-intensity aerial operations in contested environments.

The inclusion of the HQ-19 — a theater-level ballistic missile defense platform — signals Pakistan’s focus on developing a multi-layered air defense shield. Designed to intercept high-speed threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles, the HQ-19 would represent the most advanced surface-to-air missile system in Pakistan’s arsenal.

Officials noted that the offer is currently under review by relevant defense and procurement authorities, with discussions underway on cost, delivery timelines, and localized support.

The announcement comes amid ongoing efforts by the Pakistan Air Force to modernize its combat fleet and integrated defense systems. It also builds upon recent operational success with the Chinese-supplied J-10CE fighters, which have proven effective in recent deployments.

This proposed defense package, if finalized, could reshape the regional balance of power and mark a significant milestone in the deepening strategic partnership between China and Pakistan.

-------

Thomas Keith
@iwasnevrhere_
Diplomacy was the soft shell; the core revealed Pakistan’s splice into China’s 5th‑generation lattice. Forty J‑35 stealth fighters lock Rawalpindi onto the same firmware branch Beijing uses to police the Taiwan Strait, turning every sortie over Kashmir into a live performance of Delhi’s irrelevance.

KJ‑500 radars and HQ‑19 interceptors stitch radar, tracking, and exo‑atmospheric kill space into one loop, downgrading India’s S‑400s to parade props while giving Pakistan clean anti‑satellite reach that Mumbai can only watch on STRATFOR infographics.

$3.7 billion in deferred Chinese debt isn’t charity, it’s a timer wired to strategic concessions, buying Islamabad oxygen while keeping Delhi guessing which concession point triggers first.

https://x.com/iwasnevrhere_/status/1931019017998786842

Comment

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page