Diplomatic Isolation Of Pakistan And Direct Action Against It

India walks a tightrope between diplomatic isolation of Pakistan and direct action against it.

- Pranay Sharma

Diplomatic initiatives have, on more than one occasion in the past, successfully pulled back India and Pakistan from the brink of war. another bout of hectic parleys are currently on among key international players to find a viable non-military solution to the crisis in the subcontinent sparked off by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's murderous attack on an Indian security convoy in Kashmir.

The attempt is to force Pakistan to take “visible, credible and prompt” act­ ion against JeM and other terror groups operating from Pakistani soil. But the question remains if the mount­ ing international pressure on the Pakistani establishment, including a French­initiated UN Security Council move to proscribe JeM founder Masood Azhar, will have the desired effect.

The prevailing uncertainty has led policy­makers in South Asia and in dif­ferent world capitals to contemplate the possibility of an armed engagement between India and Pakistan and ana­ lyse its consequences if that happens.

Diplomacy is seen as an extension of a country’s domestic politics. The reaction to the Pulwama terror attack is perhaps a prime example. Not only was it another provocative attack in Kashmir but, significantly, it comes three months before the Lok Sabha polls. A prime minister who draws much of his domestic influence from his image as a ‘tough’ leader and is seeking a fresh mandate, can barely be seen to shy away from the challenge it poses. What PM Modi’s demonstrative tough­ ness means is a matter of interpreta­tion but there is rising expectation in India for strong action against JeM and their backers in Pakistan.