Pursuit of Strength

The north-western frontier can also become a strategic gateway if understood and engaged wisely, not only by neutralizing a persistent security threat but also, pleasantly surprisingly, by contributing positively to peace and prosperity. Today's India has no imperial ambitions, but the strategic value of a stable, cooperative Afghanistan remains crucial. A friendly and stable Afghanistan focused on development can also become a partner in countering global terrorism

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India faces a unique national security challenge: two of its neighbours possess nuclear weapons. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Pakistani military is developing an ICBM that could reach continental United States, possibly "to deter the United States from either trying to eliminate its arsenal in a preventive attack or intervening on India's behalf in a future Indian-Pakistani conflict," as noted by Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi in their 'Foreign Affairs' article, "How to Survive the New Nuclear Age" (July/August 2025).

The '2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment' by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency notes that Pakistan continues to perceive India as an existential threat, while deepening its military and nuclear cooperation with other countries.

The report adds that India views China as its primary strategic adversary, with Pakistan seen as a secondary but persistent challenge, despite India's consistent efforts to befriend its neighbours.

In such a tight embrace between two nuclear-armed states, peace with a third country could be India's masterstroke. This complex national security puzzle requires applying a historical insight: India's security and prosperity are closely linked to peace and partnership with its former neighbour, Afghanistan.

From ancient times, India's north-western frontier—especially the Khyber Pass—has been its civilizational Achilles' heel, a corridor through which waves of invaders entered the subcontinent. Darius I of Persia (522-486 BCE), Alexander (336-323 BCE), Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030 CE), Muhammad of Ghori (1173-1206 CE), and Babur (1526-1530 CE) all marched through this gateway, reshaping India's destiny.