Over the past fifty years, Pakistan has repeatedly found itself drawn into external conflicts, gaining fleeting international attention but at a significant cost to its internal stability and long-term development. This recurring pattern, observed closely by India, underscores a fundamental challenge: while Pakistan temporarily increases its geopolitical relevance through involvement in regional crises, these engagements simultaneously erode its national cohesion and capacity for sustainable growth.
Pakistan's recent active role in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict has once again thrust it into the global spotlight. From India's perspective, however, this heightened visibility is unlikely to translate into enduring strategic influence. Instead, India views Pakistan's current involvement not as a sign of strength or progress but as part of a historical trajectory marked by instability and eventual national decline.
Historically, Pakistan has leveraged its strategic geography and security networks to serve the interests of larger powers, earning economic rents and political privileges in the process. During the 1980s Soviet-Afghan war, Pakistan was the key conduit for US-backed support to Afghan resistance fighters. Later, after the September 11 attacks, Pakistan became indispensable to US and NATO military operations in Afghanistan, providing logistics, intelligence cooperation, and access routes. Each time, Pakistan's military-political elite benefited financially, maintaining their privileged status and lifestyles. These short-term economic gains, however, came at the expense of Pakistan's broader national development.
The reliance on external financial aid and strategic utility distracted Pakistan's elite from building the country's infrastructure, industry, and essential services such as water, electricity, education, and healthcare. The leadership prioritized maintaining its power rather than fostering comprehensive national strength. Consequently, the state weakened over time, moving closer to fragmentation.
This same pattern is evident in Pakistan's current role in the Iran conflict. Pakistan has offered the United States and Israel access through its lengthy border with Iran to facilitate the movement of special forces, weapons, and funds. Additionally, under its defense pact with Saudi Arabia-where an attack on one is considered an attack on both-Pakistan has signaled the possibility of deploying troops along the Iranian border in response to recent Iranian attacks on Saudi territory. This stance serves Saudi and US interests by potentially providing "boots on the ground" in Iran, even if those troops are Pakistani.
In return, Pakistan gains international visibility, financial support to keep its economy afloat, and continued advantages for its military-political class. Yet, as with previous episodes, this "gun-for-hire" approach carries deep internal costs. Pakistan's long-term use and tolerance of jihadist and militant groups to serve external agendas have generated significant blowback within its own borders. The radicalism nurtured to project power beyond Pakistan has fueled domestic militancy, including the rise of anti-state actors like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), exacerbating chronic instability in sensitive regions.
From India's viewpoint, Pakistan's current prominence is less an indicator of national strength and more a reflection of its temporary utility amid regional instability. This perspective informs India's contrasting foreign policy approach, which is rooted in non-intervention and non-alignment-a strategy aimed at building intrinsic economic, technological, and military strength over the long term.
India's deliberate focus on internal development allows it to avoid entanglement in external conflicts and military alliances. This prudent approach aligns with India's historical traditions of non-violence and middle-path diplomacy inspired by figures such as Buddha, Gandhi, and Tagore. By emphasizing peaceful and balanced engagement, India seeks to position itself as a voice for the global commons and offer an alternative model of international relations for the 21st century.
India's strategy also aims to resonate with the Global South, fostering trust and solidarity among nations skeptical of traditional power blocs and hegemonic rivalries. By avoiding military alliances and refraining from interference in other countries' internal affairs, India builds long-term diplomatic capital. This approach bears some resemblance to China's earlier focus on comprehensive national power before pursuing greater regional and global influence.
In contrast, Pakistan's repeated pattern of extracting temporary geopolitical relevance during crises has not translated into stable nation-building. India measures a country's long-term standing by its sustained economic depth, industrial capacity, institutional strength, and internal cohesion. On these criteria, Pakistan remains fragile and vulnerable.
The recurring cycle Pakistan faces involves short-term gains from serving external powers, followed by internal destabilization and neglect of vital national development. This cycle undermines Pakistan's future prospects and increases the likelihood of eventual implosion or collapse as a nation-state, according to the Indian assessment.
In summary, while Pakistan currently enjoys outsized visibility due to its involvement in the US-Israel-Iran conflict and its strategic ties with the United States and Saudi Arabia, India views this as another episode of temporary geopolitical utility rather than a sign of strategic progress. The underlying issues of internal weakness, radicalism, and lack of development persist, limiting Pakistan's capacity for long-term consolidation and growth.
India's contrasting approach, grounded in non-alignment, peaceful diplomacy, and national development, reflects a strategic vision for sustainable growth and influence. By focusing on intrinsic strength and avoiding entangling alliances or conflicts, India aims to build a stable and prosperous future for itself and offer a model of international engagement suitable for the complexities of the 21st century.
Robinder Sachdev, based in New Delhi and an expert in geopolitics and international relations, provides this analysis. His insights highlight the enduring challenges Pakistan faces due to its historical reliance on external conflicts and the implications for regional stability and India-Pakistan relations going forward.