Latest news with #TCARaghavan
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Military not a solution to Pakistan problem, need more rounded approach: Ex-envoy TCA Raghavan
Former Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan cautions against a purely security-based approach to India-Pakistan relations, advocating for leveraging India's economic, social, and political strengths. He argues that Pakistan is more concerned with India's overall progress than its military might. Raghavan suggests a more nuanced policy that acknowledges varying degrees of behavior from Pakistan, rather than a rigid stance. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Amidst growing tensions and a "securitised" India-Pakistan relationship, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan has cautioned that there is no military solution to the problem, urging for a more rounded approach that leverages India's full spectrum of strengths, including diplomatic, societal and political at the India Habitat Centre here on Tuesday on the topic, " India-Pakistan relations in light of Operation Sindoor", Raghavan emphasised that India's true influence lies in its economic vitality, social pluralism, institutional resilience and cultural reach, not just in its military fact, according to the former diplomat who served in Pakistan for seven years, the Pakistani military does not feel threatened by India's military might, but rather seeks "to stand up to it"."What worries Pakistanis is not your military, but your overall trajectory as a nation, your economic growth, your societal progress, the pluralism of your society and the strength of your institutions. That is what they really fear.... There is no military solution, you have to bring in all your strengths.""Your strengths are enormous in the real sense.... You are truly a cultural, social and political hegemon where Pakistan is concerned. So if we move to a purely security-based relationship , all of that is being put aside. Given that you are not just dealing with Pakistan for two, three or even five years, but for a very long time, you need a more rounded approach," Raghavan former diplomat served as India's high commissioner to Pakistan from June 6, 2013 till his retirement on December 31, that the situation with Pakistan is far from merely a "tactical or military issue", the 69-year-old asserted that the central challenge today is "how to manage a volatile and friction-ridden interface with a difficult neighbour in the absence of a functioning bilateral relationship," a relationship, he noted, that has been "progressively hollowed out" since fact, according to the seasoned diplomat, the recent decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance reflects just how few diplomatic options remain on the table."This time, you were, in a sense, left with no other option but to place the IWT in abeyance. Everything else that could have been done had already been done. There was no other peg of the relationship which you could have used as a sanction against Pakistan. The cupboard is bare," Raghavan also highlighted the danger of viewing Pakistan through what he called a "monochromatic lens" and said there is now a tendency to treat all of Pakistan as uniformly "bad".Reflecting on India's long-standing position that "talks and terror cannot go together", Raghavan observed that while the principle remains valid, its rigid application may be limiting diplomatic flexibility."This is really what 'talks and terror cannot go together' means. But in the process, you are losing the capacity to distinguish between shades of behaviour," he buttress his point, the author of "The People Next Door: The Curious History of India-Pakistan Relations" gave the example of the 2021 ceasefire reaffirmation agreement at the Line of Control (LoC), despite India facing severe tensions with China at the time, and argued that there was a period of "relatively better" behaviour by Pakistan."But we did not take cognisance of it. If you do not distinguish between shades of behaviour, you tie your hands behind your back," he added, advocating for a more calibrated policy, the one where "you have to deal with neighbours as they are, not as you would like them to be".The discussion, organised by India Foundation, was also joined by Ruchi Ghanashayam, India's former high commissioner to Ghana, South Africa and the United Kingdom, who was also the first Indian woman diplomat stationed in Islamabad.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
HT City Delhi Junction: Catch It Live on 3 June 2025
What: Scripted Dialogues – A Calligraphic Conversation Where: Alliance Française, 72, KK Birla Lane, Lodi Estate When: June 3 to 8 Timing: 11am to 7pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh (Yellow Line) What: Goethe Kino in June | Skin Deep (Aus meiner Haut) Where: Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kasturba Gandhi (KG) Marg, Connaught Place When: June 3 Timing: 7pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Janpath (Violet Line) What: India-Pakistan Relations in the Light of Operation Sindoor – TCA Raghavan, Raj Chengappa, Ambassador Ruchi Ghanashyam, and Capt Alok Bansal Where: Gulmohar, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road When: June 3 Timing: 6pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium (Violet Line) What: Jo Bolta Hai Wahi Hota Hai ft Harsh Gujral A post shared by Harsh Gujral (@realharshgujral) Where: The Laugh Store, CyberHub, DLF Phase II, Sector 24, Gurugram When: June 3 Timing: 7pm Entry: Nearest Metro Station: Cyber City (Rapid Metro)
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pahalgam attack plunged Indo-Pak ties from minimal stability to deep crisis: Ex Envoy TCA Raghavan
Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan described the current state of India-Pakistan relations following the Pahalgam terrorist attack as "potentially very dangerous" and said that the incident has plunged the bilateral ties between the two countries from minimal stability to a "deep crisis". Talking to PTI on the sidelines of the recently concluded Nainital Literature Festival (NLF), Raghavan stressed that "one cannot underestimate the seriousness" of the current situation. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack PM Modi-led 'Super Cabinet' reviews J&K security arrangements Pakistan's General Asim Munir is itching for a fight. Are his soldiers willing? India planning to launch military strike against Pakistan within 24 to 36 hours, claims Pak minister "These were innocent tourists who were mercilessly killed, gunned down. So, in that sense, it is very reminiscent of the Mumbai terrorist attack, when many more people lost their lives, or it is like the situation after the Parliament attack. "It is most unfortunate that a major terrorist attack such as this has plunged India-Pakistan relations from a period of minimum stability -- but nevertheless stability -- into a deep crisis," Raghavan said. GIF89a����!�,D; 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo The former diplomat served as India's high commissioner to Pakistan from June 6, 2013 till his retirement on December 31, 2015. On April 22, terrorists opened fire in a meadow dubbed 'mini Switzerland' near the tourist hub of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. It is the worst attack in Kashmir since the Pulwama strike in 2019 when 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Live Events In the aftermath of the attack, India has downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a series of measures, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty , and the immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post. Highlighting the "dangers inherent" in the current situation, Raghavan emphasised that India's diplomatic steps -- especially the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty -- should not be discounted. While acknowledging the widespread and deeply felt outrage across all sections of society in India, Raghavan noted that the government must address the current crisis on three fronts - "the international situation, the situation with regards to Pakistan, and the strong domestic outrage". "There is a sense of outrage that the perpetrators of this attack should not go unpunished. So the government has to address each of these sentiments," he added. That said, the 69-year-old also underscored that India cannot ignore the reality of being located in a "deeply troubled region" and, as such, cannot afford to disengage from its immediate neighbourhood, despite prevailing tensions. The author of "The People Next Door: The Curious History of India-Pakistan Relations" emphasised that stability in our relations with the adversarial neighbour Pakistan is something which is in our overall national interest, closely linked to "India's long-term developmental objectives and the need to protect its economic gains". "I hope that in the weeks and days ahead, regardless of what measures and counter measures are taken, a longer term view of India and South Asia is also kept in mind," he said. Novelist Shobhaa De, author Anand Neelakantan, writer and former diplomat Vikas Swarup, actor Sandhya Mridul and food historian Pushpesh Pant were among the speakers at the inaugural edition of the NLF. The three-day literature festival came to a close on April 27.
