Ranbir Singh Pathania
rspathaniamla@gmail.com
Recent bombings inside Pakistan and its retaliatory strikes in Afghanistan have brought to fore internal contradictions and confusions of the Pakistani state. The apparatus notorious for pushing terror into Afghanistan and India now suffers from deep internal crises. As terrorism consumes its creator, Pakistan is in the throes of a complex moral, security, territorial and existential tangle.
History of Durand Line
Bone of Contention : At the root of South Asia’s instability lies the Durand Line-a colonial relic drawn in 1893 by Sir Mortimer Durand under British India’s imperial design. The Durand line cuts through to demarcate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the contested region of Gilgit-Baltistan of northern and western Pakistan from the northeastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan. From a geopolitical and geostrategic perspective, it has been described as one of the most dangerous borders in the world.
The line amputated the Pashtun heartland and continues to deny Afghanistan its historical and ethnic unity. The Durand Line was never recognized by any Afghan government as an international boundary, representing instead an artificial partition that cleaved Pashtun lands to serve imperial interests.
Afghanistan remains the only country to oppose Pakistan’s membership in the United Nations, primarily due to this border dispute. The Pashtun people, spread across Afghanistan’s eastern provinces and Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan regions, remain divided territorially and are denied full civil liberties, political agency, and developmental opportunities. Within Pakistan, a Punjabi-dominated military and political establishment continues to marginalize Pashtun, Baloch, Kashmiri and Sindhi populations, exacerbating ethnic and regional tensions.
India today stands ready to forge a coalition of conscience and cooperation with Iran, Afghanistan, and other Central and South Asian nations. This alliance will unite democratic values, free trade, and ‘rule of law’ to counter Pakistan’s proxy terrorism and China’s economic imperialism.
Samrat Lalitaditya’s vision
Historically, long before colonial borders divided Asia, the subcontinent was a beacon of influence and enlightenment. In the 8th century CE, Samrat Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir, ruler of the Karkota Empire, envisioned a united Asia linked by trade, culture, and dharma. His reign made Kashmir the fulcrum of the Central Silk Route, connecting India to Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Caravans transported not just goods but knowledge, art, and faith, making India the moral and mercantile heart of that world.
This was no mere imperial ambition; it was the civilizational outreach of Bharatvarsha, where trade was built on trust and power was guided by purpose.
How Dogras & Sikhs Trailed The Blaze
The Dogra rulers and the Sikh sovereigns of the Lahore Darbar similarly saw Jammu & Kashmir not just as a frontier but as a strategic gateway to Central and South Asia. Their diplomatic and military efforts secured footholds across Gilgit, Ladakh, Baltistan, and even into Tibet and Xinjiang. They aimed to transform the region into a corridor of culture, trade, and influence-connecting Punjab’s plains to Central Asia’s high plateaus. Under their stewardship, Jammu & Kashmir embodied India’s ancient commitment to link civilizations rather than conquer.
Indian Standpoint:
Today, India’s vision of regional integration revives this ancient civilizational impulse. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the Chabahar Port project, and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) are spiritual successors to the historic Central Silk Route. These initiatives are not merely commercial highways but avenues for reconnecting civilizations, replacing conflict with commerce.
Now that, India has upgraded its technical mission to a full-fledged embassy. While India is still to grant official recognition to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, it has been providing humanitarian and development works assistance.
This significant move underscores India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Afghanistan, enhancing its contribution to the country’s development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, while reaffirming its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In stark contrast stands the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a neo-colonial project that imposes economic dependencies under the pretext of development.
Where CPEC binds nations in subservience, India builds dignity and empowerment.
This fundamental difference between India’s inclusive global partnership and authoritarian expansionism underscores India’s transformational, not transactional, approach to regional integration.
In this moment of peril, India essentially needs to rise to the occasion and lead a legal and moral front against state-sponsored terror, reclaiming its ancient civilizational role as the natural progenitor of peace, progress, and prosperity across Asia.
India’s Leadership Role
In the midst of complex geopolitical challenges, India must advance a proactive, principled, and pragmatic foreign policy centered on:
Engagement with Pashtun Aspirations:
India should recognize and stand firm for enforcement of legitimate political and civil rights of Pashtuns. A stable, inclusive Afghanistan free from Pakistani domination is essential for enduring pece.
Diplomatic and Humanitarian Outreach
Revitalizing India’s role in Afghanistan through education, healthcare, and cultural diplomacy will reinforce India’s image as a reliable partner.
Building a Regional Coalition for Stability
Collaborating with Iran, Russia, and Central Asian republics, India can pioneer initiatives that marginalize terror networks while promoting cooperative regional security.
Countering Pakistan’s State-Sponsored Terrorism
India must persistently expose Pakistan’s proxy terrorism globally and work with international partners to demand accountability and reforms within Pakistan.
India’s path-anchored in dharma, democracy, and dialogue-remains the only viable route toward a stable, prosperous, and terror-free Asia. The world yearns not for another empire, but for a renaissance of values.
India, once again, must light that lamp.
It needs to take up the bold gauntlet. The initiative brooks no delay.
(The columnist practices law at the J & K, High Court of Judicature and is member of Legislative Assembly of J&K.)
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