India, Pakistan vie to sell their narratives abroad. Will this work?

Both send teams overseas to press their cases, shape perceptions after ceasefire

- Nirmala Ganapathy

NEW DELHI - Military action between India and Pakistan might have stopped for now, but the feuding South Asian neighbours are ramping up a war of words.

Both governments are sending teams to key partners to press their cases and shape global perceptions on the latest flashpoint that sparked fears of an open conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries.

India's campaign, in particular, is notable for both its scale and its non-partisan nature. Seven delegations are fanning across the world to places from Belgium, Germany and the US, to Bahrain, Guyana and Panama.

In total, 57 retired diplomats and ruling and opposition politicians are travelling to 33 countries.

New Delhi and Islamabad agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, after four days of tit-for-tat military confrontation. India had accused Pakistan of being involved in the April 22 "terror attack" that killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-held Kashmir — something Pakistan denied.

India's latest effort, say analysts, is aimed at getting international buy-in from friendly countries for how it approaches what it says is state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan, to diplomatically isolate its neighbour, and to amplify New Delhi's message that it had little choice but to strike due to the attack — and that it was well within its rights to do so.

"The parliamentary delegations will make the world aware that India will consider future terrorist attacks as an act of war and will take retaliatory action," said Mr Anil Wadhwa, a retired Indian diplomat.

The delegations are also striving to plug gaps in India's messaging amid domestic criticism that it has not articulated its position effectively.

"There is a sense that India's narrative has not fully got across globally. So there is a need to explain to India's friends and key partners," Professor C Raja Mohan, a visiting research professor at Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies, told The Straits Times.