Slowly, Delhi puts the screws on Islamabad

Simran Sodhi in New Delhi

Diplomatic manoeuvres of the last fortnight gave an indication of India's thinking. India first set the ball rolling by getting back at Pakistan over its attempts to globalise Kashmir. The agenda was clear, right from the top. India would highlight Baluchistan and the atrocities being committed in the Baluch region to get people to focus on Pakistan's human rights record.

So whether it was at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva or at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, India's diplomatic course was clear. While the rhetoric would be raised, as was evident in the speech delivered by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, India would stick to a certain amount of restrain. Swaraj's speech at the UNGA epitomised that approach. While she took apart Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's earlier speech where he alleged Indian army committing atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir, she nevertheless maintained a certain degree of dignity.

Back in the capital, the PM chaired a meet where the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 was reviewed. The very fact that India reviewed the treaty was a message to Pakistan that this time the agenda and the game would be different. At the end of that meeting, the decision taken and conveyed was simple. India would play hard ball on the waters treaty. While staying within the legal limits of the treaty, it would still squeeze Pakistan. 

Then came the decision to boycott the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit to be hosted by Islamabad in November. While the buzz and the whispers had been doing the rounds of the South Block for a while, the decision to go ahead with the boycott was still a surprise. But what has added to India's diplomatic standing in as far as the boycott of the Saarc Summit goes is the fact that a number of South Asian member states followed suit. Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also spoke up against the atmosphere not being conducive to holding the summit.

As of today, five member-nations out of the eight Saarc members have decided to boycott the Summit and in totality Pakistan stands exposed and isolated in the neighbourhood. This is definitely a thumbs-up moment for India's diplomatic community. Pakistan finally bowed to the inevitable and has now postponed the summit.

Finally the biggest announcement came a few days back. The Indian Army proudly announced that it had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and caused considerable damage to launch pads of terrorists who were planning to attack India. In other words, India had finally crossed the Rubicon and struck where it would hurt the most. Pakistan's denial was expected.

In the days and weeks to come, India will keep up the pressure. While the government has reached out to some 25 envoys based in the capital and explained India's position and rationale behind conducting the surgical strikes, the tensions are not going to die down easy. By conducting these strikes, India has given it back to Pakistan in a language that it best understands. But some form of retaliation from the Pakistani side is also expected.