Articulating India’s Grand Strategy Towards Pakistan

Executive Summary

India's grand strategy toward Pakistan, while not formally articulated, has prioritised containment, dissuasion, and resilience-building over direct confrontation or reconciliation. This paper argues that despite tactical differences in the use of military force, successive Indian governments have consistently pursued the core objective of limiting Pakistan’s capacity to disrupt India’s growth trajectory. The paper examines how India’s growing economy, modernised military, and global integration have strengthened its strategy toward Pakistan and bolstered its standing internationally.

Conversely, Pakistan’s acute economic vulnerabilities, reliance on external aid, and growing dependence on China have constrained its strategic options and amplified its susceptibility to external shocks.

The paper further demonstrates that traditional deterrence theory has limited applicability in the India-Pakistan context, as Pakistan’s asymmetric posture and willingness to absorb punitive responses have enabled its continuation of sub-conventional warfare. India has achieved the limited success of reducing the frequency and lethality of terrorist attacks. It has also pushed international discourse to highlight Pakistan’s support for terrorism. However, India has not eradicated the threat of terrorism or altered Pakistan’s overall strategy of using proxy wars.

The research also presses on the significance of institutional clarity and continuity, domestic political consensus, as well as the use of diplomatic and economic tools in India's strategy. The paper recommends that New Delhi institutionalise bilateral crisis management mechanisms, invest in cyber and information warfare, and pursue a balanced engagement with global powers, especially Pakistan’s traditional allies. Sustainable security, it argues, will require military and diplomatic agility, as well as meaningful political engagement and internal resilience.

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