Harsh V. Pant is Professor of International Relations at King's College London. His most recent book is "India's Afghan Muddle" (HarperCollins).
The Modi government's Pakistan policy is facing a serious crisis - a crisis of credibility. In an absence of a clear strategy, there have been several U-turns that have befuddled this government's supporters and critics alike. Consistency is overrated in diplomacy. A nation's foreign policy should be nimble enough to be able to respond effectively to ever dynamic domestic and international contexts. But the Modi government's Pakistan policy has taken so many turns in the last 10 months that it is in danger of becoming a joke.
But just a few months down the line, the Modi government has not only resumed bilateral dialogue even as Pakistani violations of the ceasefire have been steadily mounting, it has even conveyed to Pakistani authorities that the Pakistani High Commissioner is free to host separatist leaders except when officials talks are on. Where this leaves the government's earlier moves remains a moot point. This confusion is manifest even in the government's own pronouncements. When Mr Modi greeted Mr Sharif on Pakistan's Republic Day, he tweeted: "I have written to Pakistan PM Mr. Nawaz Sharif, conveying my greetings on the National Day of Pakistan," adding further, "It is my firm conviction that all outstanding issues can be resolved through bilateral dialogue in an atmosphere free from terror & violence."
It is difficult to take these pronouncements seriously when the Modi government seems to be doing everything possible to undermine its own position on these key issues. It is clear that Pakistan is getting emboldened because of developments in India and the larger region.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the new PDP-BJP coalition government has sent mixed signals about their seriousness in tackling extremists in the state. The PDP has been so solicitous of Pakistan that it has even credited Islamabad with making elections in the state a success. And now with the Modi government's erratic policy on talks, Pakistan's intransigence vis-a-vis India seems to be paying off.
Pakistan's longstanding policy of bleeding India by a thousand cuts continues unabated because it remains convinced about India's inability and unwillingness to impose serious costs. Unless the Modi government makes a clean break from the past, it will also make India hostage to perpetual turmoil much like its predecessors.
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