With regard to Pakistan, the Indian foreign policy has always been belligerent, greatly offensive and nasty.
In the context of current events, the Indian foreign policy towards Islamabad has four cornerstones. It is a known reality that India has always desired and attempted to disintegrate Pakistan. Her nefarious role in the creation of Bangladesh is a testimony to her ambitions. Thus, the Indian mindset has not accepted the reality of Pakistan and attempts are afoot to create troubles for the country within all of its four corners.
First, the Indian attempt is to try and depict Pakistan as the mentor of all terrorist activities not only in the region but also throughout the world. In this regard, the Indian police and law enforcement agencies blame the Pakistani intelligence for creating unrest in India. The fact is that it is the Indian state policies that are causing unrest in the Indian heartland and forcing people to confront the state. Pakistan or its agencies have no role in this regard. It is Pakistan that has sacrificed thousands of its military personnel and tens of thousands of civilians in the fight against terrorism.
Second, the Indian foreign policy seeks to sideline the Kashmir issue and tell the world that it is a bilateral matter and of little significance. However, the Kashmir issue has led to three Indo-Pak wars and kept the region hostage. The Indian “deep state” (permanent military-intelligence-diplomatic bureaucracy) intends to escalate tensions inside Pakistan as ‘payback’ for the protests that have been rocking the Indian-held Kashmir for the past six months, and the country’s media is all too eager to assist in this regard. The Indian foreign policy has not worked successfully as the world now realises that the Kahsmir issue should be sorted out to keep peace in the region.
Third, India doesn’t want Balochistan’s infrastructure development and standard of living to improve because this would then solve its local problems and make it more of an integrated and stable part of Pakistan.
Instead, Modi’s last year’s speech and the cascade of hyper-nationalist commentary followed by stage managed incidents like Uri, etc, are a signal to the strengthening of Hybrid War, hoping that Pakistan will fall for the bait of militarily overreacting and creating a larger self-perpetuating cycle of violence that would descend into a quagmire with time. While the entire world looks at the CPEC through the same lens, an unprecedented anti-CPEC campaign is being unleashed by India at various international fora and organizations with the aim to scuttle the project and deprive Pakistan of its benefits. Efforts are aimed at creating controversies and mistrust of the people in the mega projects through various means and exploiting fault-lines in the society.
Fourth, India seeks to foment trouble in Gilgit Baltistan so as to divert attention from held Kashmir. Meanwhile, observers do not expect Iran to be duped by India’s anti-Pakistan plot as Indian-encouraged Pakistani Baloch separatism directly affects the country. Modi’s aggressive and very clear intimation that he supports Baloch separatism in Pakistan is bound to lead to destabilization of the Iranian province of Sistan-Balochistan hosting the Chabahar port.