Tushar Shetty
Former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani discusses the evolving dynamics of US-Pakistan-India relations, Pakistan’s military influence on foreign policy, regional terrorism challenges, and the prospects for South Asian integration.
This transcript is based on an interview done for Beyond the Indus, The Diplomat’s South Asia-focused podcast.
India-Pakistan Relations and Regional Integration
Tushar: Ambassador Haqqani*, I recently watched your interview with an Indian news channel following the Pulwama* attack. You were making some interesting points about India-Pakistan dialogue, but the conversation format didn’t allow you to complete your thoughts. Post-Pulwama*, it seems India and Pakistan are shouting past each other without any real dialogue. What isn’t getting through to each side in their understanding of the other? How would you assess both countries’ current strategies for engagement, and how could each side improve their approach?
Ambassador Haqqani: That’s a good question, Tushar*. Shouting is never conducive to dialogue anywhere, and that interview exemplified this phenomenon. Instead of allowing people to complete their thoughts, there’s a tendency to make predetermined points without listening to each other.
Pakistanis seriously don’t understand that India, which was always willing to talk to Pakistan from 1947 until 2008, has been profoundly affected by events like the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Terrorism matters deeply to Indians, and they feel frustrated that they haven’t been able to eliminate this threat.
Conversely, Indians don’t understand that Pakistan is not a monolith. It’s a country of multiple nationalities with diverse perspectives. Yes, the military controls the polity, but there are people within Pakistan who have different viewpoints.
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