While India’s hand is not as strong as we sometimes believe it to be, there might be opportunities to leverage the international situation further down the road. India’s confidence emanated from Mr. Modi’s electoral victory in 2014 that yielded a strong Central government and expectations of stable ties with all the major powers. This included the renewed patterns of Pakistan’s ties with the U.S. and China, with the latter reassuring Pakistan and, most importantly, the Army on their respective strategic commitments and bilateral partnerships. Historically, U.S. policymakers have always sought to restore the alliance with Pakistan whenever Islamabad’s ties with China became stronger. So, both India and Pakistan perceive themselves to be in a comfortable strategic position.

Source: The Hindu July 24, 2019 18:32 UTC