Our foreign policy no longer hyphenated with Pak: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday dismissed suggestions that India’s foreign policy was showing signs of “re-hyphenation” with Pakistan, asserting that New Delhi’s diplomatic approach today is defined by its own strength, capability and global standing rather than by comparison with a “not-so-nice” neighbour.

Speaking at an interaction at JNU, Jaishankar said India had consciously moved away from the era when its global relationships were viewed through the Pakistan prism. “We have multiple neighbours — some are clearly better than others — and the hyphenation normally happens with a neighbour who is not so nice,” he remarked. “The best way of de-hyphenation,” he added, “is to outstrip the other party in terms of power and capability.” He said that unlike in the 1970s, when India and Pakistan were often viewed together by the world, “nobody talks like that anymore”.

Jaishankar underlined that India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy was aimed at giving priority and resources to regional partners, except one, and building stabilising linkages through connectivity, trade and energy cooperation. “If you look today at the projects, the energy grids, roads and movement of people, the last decade has been transformational,” he said, crediting this engagement for insulating the region from sharper disruptions.

Citing India’s support to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis and assistance with fuel and fertiliser supplies after the Ukraine conflict, he said India had gone “beyond accommodation” to help neighbours, but always within the bounds of its national interest. “We can accommodate them to the extent our national interest allows… where it requires otherwise, we deal with that as well,” he said. Rejecting any notion that India’s pursuit of “strategic autonomy” signalled indecision, Jaishankar said the principle was central to India’s ability to navigate a turbulent and unpredictable world. “My interest is best secured by maximising my options and maintaining my freedom of choices,” he said.

“The more volatile and turbulent the world is, the stronger the case for multi-alignment becomes. The idea that freedom of choice is indecision is just a clever way of saying ‘align with me’,” he quipped, asserting that India must remain “a master of its own destiny”. Ending on a personal note, Jaishankar, a JNU alumnus, recalled his years at the university, saying he carried with him a “special nostalgia” for that period. “I just like to believe JNU was more intense and somehow more special,” he said with a smile.