India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan

Source: The post India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan has been created, based on the article “Perils of self-hyphenation” published in “Business Standard” on 21st June 2025

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2-Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Context: India has long pursued a strategy of “de-hyphenation” from Pakistan to project itself as a standalone power. However, recent domestic political choices have reversed this trend. The article examines the risks of re-hyphenating with Pakistan, especially under the current political discourse.

The Legacy and Logic of De-Hyphenation

1. A Strategic Necessity: Since the 1980s, India has aimed to separate itself diplomatically from Pakistan. China is the primary strategic challenge, requiring long-term effort to build deterrence or peace. Managing Pakistan is essential, but facing both adversaries simultaneously must be avoided.
2. Global Recognition of the Policy: India strongly pushed back against Western attempts to club India and Pakistan together. Since Bill Clinton’s presidency, this policy gained traction. The Simla Agreement cemented bilateralism, rejecting third-party mediation.
3. Symbolic Victories of De-Hypernation: Bill Clinton’s brief visit to Pakistan post-Kargil and Indonesia’s President skipping Pakistan after visiting India are signs of success. The U.S. adopted a “non-zero-sum” view, supporting separate relations with India and Pakistan.

The Reversal through Domestic Politics

1. Hyphenation from Within: Despite diplomatic wins, India’s political messaging under the BJP has re-hyphenated Pakistan. Since Pulwama and the 2019 elections, Pakistan has become a central theme in BJP’s domestic politics.
2. Pakistan as a political tool: The BJP frames Pakistan as synonymous with terrorism, using this to amplify Hindu-Muslim polarisation and strengthen its core electoral narrative.
3. Disproportionate Attention: Pakistan dominates speeches by BJP leaders. A word-cloud comparison suggests a 100:1 ratio of Pakistan to China mentions, despite China being the more significant long-term threat.

Strategic Consequences of Self-Hyphenation

1. Strengthening the Adversary: Giving Pakistan too much attention enhances its perceived leverage. The Pakistan army gains legitimacy, as seen with General Asim Munir’s boost after Operation Sindoor.
2. Geopolitical vs. Political Interests: India’s goal is to focus on China, build economic power, and manage Pakistan calmly. BJP’s internal narrative clashes with strategic needs, creating a dangerous contradiction.
3. Undermining strategic focus: Overfocus on Pakistan distracts from India’s primary global challenges. It reduces strategic bandwidth to deal with complex global crises, especially involving China.

Towards a Coherent 3D Strategy

1. Diminish the threat: India must keep using diplomacy and military investments to reduce Pakistan’s threat potential over time.
2. Deter Through Strength: A strategy of deterrence backed by restraint will limit Pakistan’s capacity to provoke or escalate conflict.
3. De- Hypernation: India must stop using Pakistan in domestic political narratives to stay aligned with its global ambitions and maintain strategic clarity.

Conclusion

India’s long-term strategy of de-hyphenation is undermined by self-hyphenation through domestic politics. To secure its global rise, India must return to its original plan:
→ Diminish → Deter → De-Hyphenate.

Question for practice:

Discuss how India’s domestic political discourse has affected its long-term strategy of de-hyphenation from Pakistan.