When it comes to Pakistan and how to handle the rogue state that controls the nation, virtually everybody is an expert. At one end of the ideological spectrum are people who talk glibly about nuclear war and its aftermath. At the other end are self-styled acolytes of Mahatma Gandhi who insist India must keep offering the other cheek in a large hearted and generous manner till Pakistan is going to be shamed into civilized behavior. In the real world, neither is going to happen. Despite rhetoric, both Pakistan and India have enough sane elements at the top to know that going nuclear is simply not an option. Equally important, despite the naive peaceniks seemingly dominating mainstream "intellectual" discourse in India, people at the helm know that there is simply no way that a benevolent attitude, lots of carrots and even more of cultural and sporting ties will ever "embarrass" or "shame" the Deep State in Pakistan to abandon terrorism as a tactical as well as strategic tool. Realists have all along believed that India has to take some hard decisions when it comes to Pakistan.
Expectations of a "hardline" approach soared when Narendra Modi rode a wave in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections to become the second BJP leader to become Prime Minister. But Modi surprised everyone by trying to make peace with Pakistan. It looked as if India will continue stumbling and remain confused when it comes to handling the rogue state. Many came to the conclusion that Modi too had been afflicted by the "Legacy" disease that seemed to have overwhelmed his two predecessors Dr. Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee who gambled on lasting peace with Pakistan and lost. India's gestures in the aftermath of the Uri attack that killed 18 soldiers seemed fiercer proof of the perpetual confusion over how to handle Pakistan.
But it does look as if this regime aims to do things a little differently and that Modi is no Vajpayee or Singh. First came a blistering attack by a junior Indian diplomat at the United Nations that called Pakistan an Ivy League of terrorism. Then came open support to "freedom fighters" of Balochistan at Geneva, New York and New Delhi. Then came the Modi speech in Kerala that surprised even his die hard critics who admired his "strategic restraint". Then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj made it clear at United Nations that the global community has to sooner or later declare Pakistan a terrorist state. This was followed by a Modi led "review" of the Indus Water Treaty and a carefully worded proclamation that basically declared a water war on Pakistan (The real effects of this will take at least two years to be visible stopping water from Kashmir and Punjab flowing into Pakistan is not an overnight job). The Modi government then announced that India would boycott the SAARC Summit in Islamabad. And then came the announcement that Modi would lead a review of the Most Favored Nation status to Pakistan.
Short of war, two more steps remain for India to publicly announce to the world that it treats Pakistan now as a terrorist state and also an enemy state. Two members of Parliament have already prepared bills that would declare Pakistan as a terrorist state. In 1997, the Parliament had unanimously passed a resolution stating the the entire state of Jammu & Kashmir, including the areas under Pakistani control, is an integral part of India. Another resolution declaring Pakistan a terrorist state would be a major milestone. The next logical step would be to downgrade diplomatic ties and keep it to a bare minimum.
There are many in India who argue that these gestures are meaningless and except the threat of a water war by stopping supply of water to Pakistan, the others won't make a difference. But they would. Indians have often complained that global powers never come to help India when it comes to terrorism emanating from Pakistan. But as this author has argued earlier, why would global powers take India seriously when India itself doesn't have a coherent and consistent policy towards Pakistan? By adopting these seemingly random measures, the Modi regime is finally announcing to the world that it has a coherent Pakistan policy. The last time India adopted such an unambiguous and clear stand was back in 1970 when Indira Gandhi declared Pakistan as a de facto enemy state.
