Indian foreign policy disaster
SECULAR state image of India has severely been dented by wrong policies of the BJP. Since the Modi-led BJP came to power in India, it gave a message of extremism and a fascist Hindutva regime to the world. India’s relations with China were badly hurt after the standoff at the Sino-Indian border.
The BJP government failed to handle the China-India border issue at Ladakh diplomatically hence many soldiers lost their lives and India felt humiliation at domestic and international level.
It was a time of real embarrassment for the Indian Army as well because it was not well prepared against a well-equipped, organised and professional Chinese Army.
In his address in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed, “India was at risk from within and outside as the government policies had brought China and Pakistan closer.
” The Congress leader further claimed that the country had been weakened through attack on institutions while China had a clear vision.
“The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy is to keep Pakistan and China separate and you (Modi) brought them closer.”
India wants to keep a positive connection with Russia because it needs their support in resolving its territorial conflicts with its neighbours, especially China.
India also wants to continue economic and military assistance from Russia. India came under severe pressure from the West to denounce Russian invasion on Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
India did not want to go against Russia because the former had most important time-tested defence and diplomatic ties with the latter but at the same time it wanted to keep the West happy.
The BJP regime invited criticism from inside and from the whole world by abrogating Article 370.
This unjust decision brought resentment among Kashmiri Muslims and their fight for freedom got new direction and momentum.
Already from many decades, the world knows about the plight of Kashmiri Muslims in the Indian occupied Kashmir and many times different countries have condemned such acts candidly.
The BJP lacks intellectuals and sensible politicians. It is full of Hindu extremists who want to put the country’s foreign policy at stake for the sake of their political goals.
India’s relations with the West did not improve much under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
In Europe, other than the Rafale fighter jets deal in 2016, the BJP government was unable to make progress on stalled trade deal with EU.
By dismantling of democratic institutions and promoting religious racism, Modi has left Indian foreign policy in dejection.
Indian independent foreign policy has been sabotaged by the Modi-led BJP government by its wrong policies and its aftershocks will be felt for a long time in future.
— The writer is a freelance journalist and researcher based in Islamabad.
