Since 9/11, India has been successful in portraying Pakistan as an accomplice to terrorism, deepening its relationship with the US and the West, and reaping the benefits of its strategic self-discipline.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing a conference in New Delhi
Benazir Bhutto once said that every Pakistani had a "little bit of India" within them, just as every Indian had a little bit of Pakistan. This statement was used by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a speech via video connection at a conference in New Delhi on November 22, 2008.
In India, the belief was that if civilian rule became stronger, the problems ailing India-Pakistan relations would quickly go away.
Pakistan, wrote in his book The People Next Door
However, in his 2017 book The People Next Door: The Curious History of India's Relations with Pakistan, TCA Raghavan, a former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, noted that "within days, this debate was itself history as on 26 November 2008."
Mumbai in 2008 was a turning point
India has suffered several terror attacks over the years, but the one that struck Mumbai in 2008 was particularly significant since it completely changed India's foreign policy and international ties. These are the three ways that India has seen the strategic game unfold during the past fifteen years.
1. Pakistan as a perpetrator
While 9/11 had provided the world with a new perspective on terrorism, India saw 26/11 as a significant "I-told-you-so" moment. Since the 1980s, India has been plagued by terrorism for more than 20 years.
The LTTE and Sikh militancy have killed numerous Indian citizens, including two prime ministers, and the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has exposed the terrible reality of cross-border terrorism supported by Pakistan.
2. US and the West on India’s side
The 26/11 assaults claimed the lives of six Americans, one for each of the G7 countries. This played a significant role in the western world's compassion for India. Furthermore, the incident happened during a strategic alliance between Washington and New Delhi; the US-India nuclear agreement had only been struck a month prior, in October 2008.
3. India’s strategic restraint and its dividends
What type of response should be taken in the wake of the 26/11 incident was a familiar argument that had started following the attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001.
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