{"id":341071,"date":"2025-06-21T15:14:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T09:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=341071"},"modified":"2025-06-21T15:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T09:44:58","slug":"india-must-end-its-self-hyphenation-with-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/india-must-end-its-self-hyphenation-with-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/strong>: The post India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan has been created, based on the article \u201cPerils of self-hyphenation<\/strong>\u201d published in \u201cBusiness Standard<\/strong>\u201d on 21st June 2025<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> GS Paper<\/strong>2-<\/strong>Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and\/or affecting India\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: India has long pursued a strategy of “de-hyphenation” from Pakistan<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, especially under the current political discourse.<\/p>\n

The Legacy and Logic of De-Hyphenation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. A Strategic Necessity:<\/strong> Since the 1980s, India has aimed to separate itself diplomatically from Pakistan<\/strong>. China is the primary strategic challenge<\/strong>, requiring long-term effort to build deterrence or peace. Managing Pakistan is essential, but facing both adversaries simultaneously must be avoided<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. Global Recognition of the Policy: <\/strong>India strongly pushed back against Western attempts to club India and Pakistan together<\/strong>. Since Bill Clinton<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s presidency<\/strong>, this policy gained traction. The Simla Agreement<\/strong> cemented bilateralism<\/strong>, rejecting third-party mediation.<\/li>\n
  3. Symbolic Victories of De-Hypernation: Bill Clinton<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s brief visit to Pakistan post-Kargil<\/strong> and Indonesia<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s President skipping Pakistan after visiting India<\/strong> are signs of success. The U.S. adopted a \u201c<\/strong>non-zero-sum<\/strong>\u201d view<\/strong>, supporting separate relations<\/strong> with India and Pakistan.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Reversal through Domestic Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Hyphenation from Within: <\/strong>Despite diplomatic wins, India\u2019s political messaging under the BJP has re-hyphenated Pakistan<\/strong>. Since Pulwama and the 2019 elections<\/strong>, Pakistan has become a central theme in BJP<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s domestic politics<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. Pakistan as a political tool:<\/strong> The BJP frames Pakistan as synonymous with terrorism<\/strong>, using this to amplify Hindu-Muslim polarisation<\/strong> and strengthen its core electoral narrative.<\/li>\n
    3. Disproportionate Attention:<\/strong> Pakistan dominates speeches by BJP leaders. A word-cloud comparison<\/strong> suggests a 100:1 ratio of Pakistan to China mentions<\/strong>, despite China being the more significant long-term threat<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Strategic Consequences of Self-Hyphenation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Strengthening the Adversary: <\/strong>Giving Pakistan too much attention enhances its perceived leverage<\/strong>. The Pakistan army gains legitimacy<\/strong>, as seen with General Asim Munir<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s boost after Operation Sindoor<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      2. Geopolitical vs. Political Interests: <\/strong>India\u2019s goal is to focus on China, build economic power<\/strong>, and manage Pakistan calmly. BJP<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s internal narrative clashes with strategic needs<\/strong>, creating a dangerous contradiction.<\/li>\n
      3. Undermining strategic focus: <\/strong>Overfocus on Pakistan distracts from India<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s primary global challenges<\/strong>. It reduces strategic bandwidth to deal with complex global crises<\/strong>, especially involving China.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Towards a Coherent 3D Strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Diminish the threat: <\/strong>India must keep using diplomacy and military investments<\/strong> to reduce Pakistan<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s threat potential<\/strong> over time.<\/li>\n
        2. Deter Through Strength:<\/strong> A strategy of deterrence backed by restraint<\/strong> will limit Pakistan\u2019s capacity to provoke or escalate conflict.<\/li>\n
        3. De- Hypernation:<\/strong> India must stop using Pakistan in domestic political narratives<\/strong> to stay aligned with its global ambitions and maintain strategic clarity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          India\u2019s long-term strategy of de-hyphenation is undermined<\/strong> by self-hyphenation through domestic politics<\/strong>. To secure its global rise, India must return to its original plan:
          \n\u2192 Diminish \u2192 <\/strong>Deter <\/strong>\u2192 De-Hyphenate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Discuss how India\u2019s domestic political discourse has affected its long-term strategy of de-hyphenation from Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Source: The post India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan has been created, based on the article \u201cPerils of self-hyphenation\u201d published in \u201cBusiness Standard\u201d on 21st June 2025 UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2-Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and\/or affecting India\u2019s interests. Context: India has long pursued a strategy of “de-hyphenation” from… Continue reading India Must End Its Self-Hyphenation with Pakistan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[10503,212,239],"class_list":["post-341071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-business-standard","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-international-relations","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341071\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}