"India not alone, Pakistan backed only by traditional allies": Research Fellow Aparna Pande
Washington DC [US], May 17 (ANI): Addressing the global reactions to the recent tensions between India and Pakistan, Aparna Pande, Research Fellow and Director of the India Initiative at the Hudson Institute, emphasised that India did not face international isolation.
In an interview with ANI, Pande dismissed the narrative that the world supported Pakistan over India, noting that while traditional allies like China and Turkey backed Pakistan, most countries, including the United States and Gulf nations, called for de-escalation and refrained from supporting Pakistan.
Pande said, 'The way this crisis came out, only countries supporting Pakistan were its traditional allies. China has its strategic interest in Pakistan. Turkey has been a steadfast ally and partner of Pakistan for decades. But in other parts of the world, like the Gulf, which have strong economic relations and historical relations with Pakistan, they did not support Pakistan. The Saudis were trying to mediate and de-escalate. The United States, European countries, and most other Asian countries wanted a de-escalation because they didn't want nuclear-armed neighbours to go to war. But none of them came on Pakistan's side.'
She further said, 'I have a problem with those who portray this as if the world was on Pakistan's side and India was left alone. No, it wasn't. India's strategic and economic cloud, its relationship with the United States, Gulf Arab countries, Japan, Australia, all of them remain intact today as they were on April 22 or on May 6.'
Pande also said that India's intention was never to escalate conflict but to target terror camps in response to attacks.
'India, right from the beginning, stated very clearly it has no desire to escalate. All India was doing was striking against the terror camps. It had no desire to go for a long-term war with Pakistan. All India wanted to do was send a message to the terror infrastructure and those who support those terror groups that India will respond if there is a terror attack. If a country like the United States, with which India has a strong strategic partnership, can convince Pakistan not to escalate, then India would be fine with that,' Aparna Pande said.
She added, 'The challenge is that India has a different view from the United States. India does not accept mediation. If India seeks to resume talks with Pakistan, it will be India offering talks to Pakistan. India would be fine with having a conversation with Pakistan, but not forced by an external mediator. India is saying they never wanted escalation, but any talks between Pakistan will be based on what India will put on the agenda. It will not be by some other country or organisation.'
India carried out precision strikes through Operation Sindoor on May 7 on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack last month, in which 26 people were killed.
India also effectively responded to subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases.
India carried out surgical strikes in 2016 on terror launch pads across LoC and an aerial attack on a terror camp in Pakistan in 2019 in response to ghastly terror attacks. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
31 minutes ago
- India.com
India is not imposing a trade ban on Pakistan supporter Turkey due to..., even Erdogan will be unaware of this reason
India is not imposing a trade ban on Pakistan supporter Turkey due to..., even Erdogan will be unaware of this reason Even after Turkey openly supported Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, India has not taken any drastic step against the foe country. In fact, the government has adopted a very soft stance regarding trade. The reason for this is that India sells more goods to Turkey than it buys from it. In this way, India earns a profit of 2.73 billion dollars every year. When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not only made statements in favour of Pakistan but also sent drones, every Indian was so angry that demands started rising to stop everything from tourism to trade with Turkey. Why is India not banning trade with Turkey? According to the report of The Indian Express, an official said that the government has received many applications demanding a ban on the import of goods from Turkey. He said that apple producers of Himachal Pradesh and marble traders of Udaipur have demanded a ban on importing goods from Turkey, but India has a trade surplus with Turkey, that is, India sells more goods to Turkey than it buys from there. The official said that if trade with Turkey was banned, it would be a strong geopolitical message, but it would depend on how far you want to take it. What does India-Turkey trade in? Another reason for continuing trade with Turkey is that the trade surplus includes industrial exports. Such as engineering goods, electronics, organic-inorganic chemicals, whose export has increased significantly in the last five years. On the other hand, if we talk about Turkey, India mainly imports fruits, dry fruits, gold and marble from it. However, apple traders and marble traders of Udaipur, angry with Turkey for supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor , had demanded a ban on imports from Turkey. In this regard, he had also written a letter to the Prime Minister's Office. In the last few years, Turkey had also increased the import of petroleum products, but in the financial year 2025, it saw a decline. How much did India and Turkey trade last year? According to official figures, Turkey imported goods worth $2.99 billion to India last year, out of which fruits and dry fruits worth $107.12 million were purchased. At the same time, gold worth $270.83 million was purchased in the financial year 2025, which was more than in 2024. In 2024, gold worth $104.56 million came from Turkey to India. Talking about India, exports worth $5.72 billion were made to Turkey in the financial year 2025, out of which 50 percent i.e. $3 billion was engineering exports. Micro, Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) exports accounted for 35-40 percent. According to this, India has sold more goods worth $2.73 billion than Turkey.
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
Is This How India Will 'Dehyphenate' Itself From Pakistan?
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on," said Yossarian, the 'hero' of Joseph Heller's 1961 cult classic Catch-22. This absurdly dark and hilarious novel, set during the Second World War, contains some of the most astute observations on war and peace, a theme for our times. Or all times. Apart from one's own commanders, like Colonel Cathcart of Catch-22, the enemy could also be suboptimal actions driven by fallacious estimations of self. While our armed forces, as commanded, demonstrated their professionalism and precision, the same has been seen as lacking from other quarters in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Despite India's consistent attempts at keeping the Kashmir issue out of the arena of international interference, Pakistan has doubled down on its efforts to the contrary and achieved at least some degree of success. India, regrettably, has also got 're-hyphenated' with Pakistan despite our government's forceful iterations that the victims and perpetrators of terrorism cannot be treated at par by the international community. Pak Is No Match The irony of the current situation is that India may have played some part in bringing this rehyphenation upon itself. Rather than setting the paradigm, India is seen as playing catch-up in its diplomatic oeuvre. Immediately after the high offices of the Pakistani government, including Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, embarked on their international mission to convince the world about India's alleged aggression, seven all-party committees were dispatched by India to different parts of the world. We are yet to see what such delegations have achieved for the long run, apart from generating newsy moments. As the world's fourth-largest economy, India has a stature that Pakistan can only aspire to achieve. Sharif's statement about India being more wary of the cost of war than Pakistan because the latter is still in a struggling phase is darkly humorous and unintentionally ingenious. It doesn't behove a superpower like India to be following Pakistan's diplomatic footsteps. The soon-to-retire chief of the Florida-based United States Central Command, General Michael E. Kurilla, has recently called Pakistan a "phenomenal partner" whose value "will only increase as the Taliban continues to face security challenges within its borders". President Donald Trump, too, has been underscoring how the US values its "beautiful" relationship with both India and Pakistan, which have "great" leaders. Rather than dismissing this 'both-siding' as classic Trump balderdash, India should devise a robust plan to offset Pakistan's geopolitical arm-twisting of the West. Pak's Sneaky Ways The Afghanistan-Pakistan hyphenation is what has been driving the West's response to Islamabad's backing of the terror outfits in Kashmir and other parts of India. Pakistan has managed to convince the West, especially the US, of its indispensable status in eliminating actors that pose a direct threat to people and property in the Global North. India's renewed engagement with the Taliban, short of recognising them, has only limited potential to counter Pakistan's perceived value as a partner of the West to counter terrorist threats originating from Central and South Asia. The spectre of ISIS-K looms large on any Western attempt at holding Pakistan responsible for terror activities in India. Pakistan has utilised multilateral platforms, such as the UN, to its utmost benefit. Currently, as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Pakistan serves as the Chair of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee, Vice Chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee, and Co-Chair of two informal working groups. It is also set to become the rotational president of the UNSC in July. While these positions do not hold any substantive powers, Pakistan can be expected to initiate meetings and debates to internationalise the Kashmir issue. The Kashmir Question India may have brushed these concerns away in the past, upholding its policy of keeping Kashmir as an internal matter, but it will appear a little hypocritical now. Once you reach out to the world with an aim to share your side of the story, you cannot accuse the other party of doing the same. There has been a spirit of tentativeness with which multilateral platforms have treated India-Pakistan tensions. A large number of nations are not even aware of Kashmir and the eight-decade-long dispute over it. All they have perhaps seen is a half-hearted inscription on UN maps showing the border between the two countries. More importantly, India can no longer claim that it does not care for the "opinion" of the international community, particularly the US, when it was a foreign commander in chief of the armed forces who "announced" - however unwarrantedly - the ceasefire or the "pause" during Operation Sindoor. Classical Greek playwright and master of comedies Aristophanes said, "Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war; and this lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties". While it may be important to learn from Pakistan the art of conning everyone all the time, India must continue to act like the regional power and global arbiter that it posits itself as.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
EAM Jaishankar meets Macron, thanks French President for backing India's fight against terrorism
Paris: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday called on French President Emmanuel Macron during his official visit to France, conveying greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressing gratitude for France's support in India's fight against terrorism. "Honoured to call on President Emmanuel Macron of France. Conveyed greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Thanked him for France's strong message of support in the fight against terrorism. Our discussions reflected the trust, comfort and ambition of our Strategic Partnership," EAM posted on X. India and France have completed 25 years of strategic partnership and India's relations with France are rooted in deep trust and commitment. "Our two countries cooperate closely across all domains of strategic and contemporary relevance besides sharing similar outlook on many regional and global issues. During this visit, EAM would travel to Paris and Marseille where he would be holding bilateral discussions with his counterpart Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot. He will also engage with the senior leadership of France, and interact with think tanks and media. EAM would also participate in the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean Raisina Dialogue which is being held in the city of Marseille," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ahead of the EAM's visit. In April, after the heinous Pahalgam terror attack, Macron dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that France stands firmly with India and its people in this hour of grief. Macron also said that France will stand together with its allies and would continue the fight against terrorism wherever necessary. "I have just spoken to my counterpart Narendra Modi about the cowardly terrorist attack on Tuesday, which resulted in the tragic death of dozens of innocent civilians. France stands firmly with India and its people in this hour of grief. France, together with its allies, will continue the fight against terrorism wherever necessary," the French President posted on X. The External Affairs Minister is on an official visit to France, European Union and Belgium from June 8 to 14 to further deepen India's friendly relations and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas. On Wednesday, India and the European Union signed an agreement on Trilateral Cooperation that focuses on joint priorities and supports pilot projects in third countries. The agreement driving forward India–EU engagement in connectivity, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), green shipping and clean energy was signed in the presence of EAM Jaishankar and Jozef Sikela, the European Commissioner for International Partnership. Both sides noted that the signing of the trilateral cooperation agreement will benefit the Global South. During his visit to Brussels from June 9-11, EAM Jaishankar also called on Belgium's King Philippe, Prime Minister Bart De Wever and held delegation level talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. On the EU side, EAM called on President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. He also co-chaired the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue with EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas.
