The latest rejection of the European Union to declare Pakistan a terrorist sponsor state despite the continuous diplomatic campaign and heated rhetoric by India is a game changer in the current geopolitical confrontation between the two South Asian giants. This turn of events not only reveals the declining utility value of India foreign policy but also indicates the effectiveness of Pakistani cool, steady, and expert diplomacy at the global arena.
India has spent decades trying to persuade the international community that Pakistan has been sponsoring terrorism, and she has been taking every international platform to drive that narrative home. But the resolute denial of the European Union to India request has dealt a setback to these attempts and it has shown how the world has started viewing the two nations differently. The Vice President of the European Union made it very clear that EU relation with India is purely bilateral and not determined by the urge of India to demonize Pakistan.
This balanced approach of EU is a silent yet effective declaration of the credibility of Pakistan and a humiliating piece of evidence of the diplomatic status of India which is becoming more and more isolated. Though the External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar has attempted to appear strong and assertive with his crisp and undiplomatic comments towards Pakistan, nonetheless his words have merely revealed the frustration and desperation of New Delhi in the new international landscape where its accusations against Pakistan cannot be floated without any proof and be automatically believed as was the case in the past.
The behaviour of Jaishankar in the international arena is not a simple case of a slip of the tongue; it is the expression of frustration of the Indian foreign policy establishment which appears to be struggling to come to terms with new geopolitical realities.
What continues to baffle many international observers is that India continues to peddle an anti-Pakistan agenda not as a security issue that needs to be addressed rationally but as a remnant of the Cold War mentality that needs to be put to rest in the 21st -century diplomatic reality. This inability to update its foreign policy was slowly driving India into a self-created cul-de-sac, where its resentments were being progressively ignored by the other world powers that are more concerned about the stability of the region and economic relations than about ancient scores.
The diplomatic force of Pakistan, on the contrary, has shown grace and expertise in dealing with such provocations and concentrating on developing fair and win-win relationships with the leading world actors, including the European Union, the United Nations, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Such establishments have hailed Pakistan as a nation which is dedicated in fighting terrorism and promoting peace in the region further tightening its responsibility and progressive state in the global community.
The explicit and strong declaration by the Vice President of the European Union is not just a normal diplomatic clarification but a firm slap on the face of India which has been pursuing its age-old policy of isolating Pakistan by levelling countless accusations and lobbying at the international forums. This rejection comes as a direct hit on the credibility of New Delhi and as an unarguable diplomatic success of Islamabad. It demonstrates that the world is no longer keen to be dragged into the Indian fantasy of regional hostility and would rather develop relationship with Pakistan based on mutual respect and mutually perceived interests.
This is a setback to the decades long Indian effort to isolationism Pakistan as a pariah state and a shift in the South Asian diplomacy in which a balanced Pakistani stance is getting more appreciation against the aggressive Indian stance. The fact that the European Union, refused to be co-opted into the Indian anti-Pakistan strategy sends a very powerful message to the other countries and international bodies: the days when we blindly believe what New Delhi accused Pakistan of are long gone.
The symbolism of this diplomatic development cannot be overlooked. India, the country that longed to be a global leader, a voice of the developing world, is today seen by many to be stuck in a narrow-minded regional conflict that is seen to derail its bigger ambitions. This perception is expressed by the unwillingness of the world to support its anti-Pakistan campaign. Even its traditional friends in the West, such as in Europe are becoming tired of India trying to bring bilateral ties into its conflicts with Pakistan.
Instead, they are opting to have their own independent relationships with Islamabad, as Pakistan is a major actor in the stability of the region, counter-terrorism efforts as well as economic relations. Such refusal of the Indian story is therefore not just a diplomatic loss on tactical level but a strategic failure which has wider reflection of the deeper-rooted flaw in the Indian foreign policy vision. Meanwhile, Pakistan foreign ministry keeps on gaining points by being calm, patient, and consistent in its communication, focusing on peace, collaboration, and economic growth instead of aggression and accusations.
Whenever Minister Jaishankar or other Indian leaders make such inflammatory and blameful statements against Pakistan, they actually undermine the position of their country in the opinion of the global community. These remarks have been interpreted as signs of Indian failure to get over its historical conflicts, to think in terms of positive interaction with the rest of the world and to act as a facilitator of harmony in the region. On the contrary, the mature, balanced, diplomatic conduct of Pakistan is gaining it respect and goodwill in the key world capitals, whether of Brussels or New York or elsewhere.
The difference between emotional, aggressive diplomacy of India and calm, rational diplomacy of Pakistan could not have been more vivid than in the latest EU ruling. As India was making loud noise on the issue demanding that Pakistan be declared a terror sponsor, the European Union exercised discretion, caution and balance implicitly confirming the Pakistani stance although publicly denouncing Indian unconstructive rhetoric. This diplomatic triumph by Pakistan is not a solitary occurrence but it is rather a trend that shows the success of the Pakistan foreign policy. Over the last few years, Pakistani diplomats have been tireless in trying to mend and improve the image of their country based on three prongs; economic partnership, regional connectivity, and good state conduct.
This has not only reaped dividends within the European Union but also at the UN where it is known to contribute towards peacekeeping and resolution of conflicts in the region and at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation where it has continued to be a strong voice. In comparison, the foreign policy conducted by India with the current government in power is becoming more reactionary, negative and unconstructive- more interested in gaining brownie points off Pakistan than actually forging any meaningful relationships. The outcome is that even the countries, which used to sympathise with India on its security related issues, are no longer willing to be led by it in launching a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan.
The inability of India to persuade even its old friends in Europe to support its case against Pakistan is not a small diplomatic setback- it is a sure shot sign that the foreign policy making in New Delhi is becoming outdated and ineffective. The international community no longer wants to be dragged into the bilateral issues of India and does not find any benefit in following the footsteps of New Delhi in regards to being hostile towards Islamabad.
This should be a very uncomfortable development to the Indian government that has always counted on its capability to muster international sentiment against Pakistan. Rather than that, what is emerging is that the negative campaign being run by India is boomeranging and is making the world look more sympathetically towards Pakistan and as regard India, as a disturbing force in peace rather than as a promoter of regional peace.
At the same time, the consistent and principled foreign policy of Pakistan has opened new vistas of cooperation, investment and impact at the international arena. Pakistan being unwilling to be declared a terror sponsor by the European Union is thus not a run of the mill diplomatic utterance; it is a judgment on the two contrasting foreign policy strategies of the nuclear armed competitors of South Asia. Pakistan on the one hand is seeing the international community reward its involvement policy of mutual respect, non-interference and constructive dialogue with international legitimacy and good will.
Confrontation, suspicion, and aggressive rhetoric that characterize the approach of India are not finding takers, even among the nations that have traditionally supported the concerns of New Delhi. The comparison is as diverse as possible. Whereas Pakistan has a constructive relation with the European Union which is characterized by trade and development assistance as well as political dialogue, India stands isolated, frustrated and has been caught on several counts of diplomatic gaffes. Whenever Indian authorities make some irrational or aggressive statement against Pakistan, they simply strengthen this tendency, prompting more states to move to the logical and peaceful position of Islamabad.
Conclusively, the EU unwillingness to take the Indian anti-Pakistan line can be seen as a breakthrough in the South Asian diplomacy. It is an immensely positive indicator that the world is sick of the ancient stories of India and is prepared to relate with Pakistan with fairness and equality. This does not only spell a short-term loss to India but an indication of its waning powers in getting world opinion against Pakistan. And the more Pakistani diplomats exercise professionalism and strategic vision, the more their nation is enjoying the dividends of a changing world order where dialogue is replacing confrontation and cooperation substituting conflict.
In the meantime, the leaders of India could benefit by thinking about the increasingly abysmal success of the foreign policy conducted by the country and re-examining its dependence on aggression and propagandas. The message coming out of Brussels is clear: the future is to those who will create bridges, not walls. The victory of Pakistan in this case is not just diplomatic but symbolic, a vindication of its formula of peaceful co-existence and respectful existence in a world that is become increasingly interconnected.
