THE DYNAMICS OF INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS IN THE SOUTH ASIAN CONTEXT
By Vincent Lyn
Since India’s independence on August 15, 1947, and until the present day in 2024, there have been claims that the Indian political and military high command has been involved, directly or indirectly, in conspiracies against Pakistan. These tensions have led to three wars between the two nations.
After the September 11 attacks and the subsequent U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan’s economic resources were significantly disrupted. India, capitalizing on the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, accused Pakistan of being a hub for terrorism. This narrative, promoted by India, has strained Pakistan’s diplomatic relations worldwide.
India’s strategy, according to these claims, aims to undermine Pakistan, creating challenges in cybersecurity and socio-economic stability. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s political leadership is perceived as disloyal, often prioritizing political interests over national integrity.
Despite these internal and external challenges, the Pakistani Army, renowned as one of the toughest in the world, continues to defend the country’s sovereignty with great bravery and sacrifice. However, the failure of democratic governance in Pakistan has exacerbated major issues, leading to increasing human rights violations and governance challenges.
Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Law Enforcement Abuses
Groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), along with their affiliates, carried out suicide bombings and other indiscriminate attacks against security personnel throughout the year, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a Pakistani think tank, there were 99 militant attacks in August, marking the highest number of monthly attacks since 2014.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
In Pakistan, same-sex sexual conduct between men remains criminalized under the penal code, increasing the risk of police abuse and other forms of violence and discrimination for men who have sex with men and transgender women. Transgender women, particularly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, continued to face targeted attacks.
In May, the Federal Shariat Court ruled that certain provisions of the Transgender Act 2018 — specifically those allowing transgender people to be legally recognized by their self-perceived gender identity and to inherit property — were “un-Islamic.” This ruling caused significant concern within the transgender community, and an appeal against the decision remained pending in the Supreme Court at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Human Rights Commission, an independent statutory body, issued guidance to the police to stop harassing and arresting transgender people. The guidance also recommended decriminalizing offenses related to poverty and homelessness, an important step towards addressing discriminatory laws, policies, and public attitudes in Sindh province.
Refugees
In October, the government issued a 28-day ultimatum for “illegal immigrants” to leave the country, threatening forcible deportation by law enforcement agencies. Pakistani authorities reported that 1.73 million unregistered Afghans were residing in the country. The government defended this decision by claiming that Afghan nationals were responsible for most of the suicide bombings in Pakistan in 2023. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) responded, emphasizing that “any refugee return must be voluntary and without any pressure to ensure protection for those seeking safety.” Additionally, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN independent human rights experts expressed concerns about the arrests, exploitation, and undignified treatment of Afghans in Pakistan.
Throughout 2023, Pakistani authorities continued to intimidate and harass Afghans living in the country. Undocumented Afghans remained susceptible to police and district administration abuses and faced significant barriers in accessing employment and education.
Economic and Social Rights
In 2023, Pakistan’s economic crisis deepened due to depreciating local currency, soaring inflation, and the removal of electricity and fuel subsidies without adequate compensatory measures, severely impacting people’s economic and social rights. The country’s central bank’s foreign exchange reserves plummeted to a historic low of US$3 billion in January, sufficient for less than three weeks of imports. By July, Pakistan had secured a $3 billion agreement with the IMF, which required the government to remove energy and fuel subsidies, adopt a market-based exchange rate, and increase taxes. This led to widespread protests against higher electricity bills, inflation, and food shortages.
The economic turmoil followed the devastating economic impact of the 2022 floods.
As of 2018, nearly 37 percent of Pakistan’s 230 million people faced food insecurity, yet only 8.9 million families received assistance to mitigate the effects of rampant inflation.
After a Human Rights Watch report highlighted the barriers to accessing healthcare in Pakistani prisons, particularly for prisoners with disabilities, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered measures to improve sanitation and healthcare access in Lahore central prison, including establishing a dedicated hospital. He also pledged to initiate prison reforms nationwide.
The Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment reported an increase in workplace sexual harassment rates, disproportionately affecting women. Despite the prevalence of such harassment, the government has not ratified the International Labour Organization’s Violence and Harassment Convention (C190), which mandates comprehensive protections to end violence and harassment, including gender-based violence, at work.
Key International Actors
In July, the European Union proposed extending Pakistan’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status for another four years, allowing Pakistan to continue enjoying trade preferences and access to the European market.
Also in July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, highlighting the “positive momentum” in U.S.-Pakistan relations and agreeing to remain “constructively engaged to promote peace, security, and development.”
In the same month, Human Rights Watch urged Pakistan to make a submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s prolonged occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Subsequently, in August, Pakistan made a formal submission to the ICJ on this matter.
Pakistan and China strengthened their extensive economic and political ties in 2023, continuing work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes constructing roads, railways, and energy pipelines. The CPEC is a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Through the BRI, the route from Gwadar through Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan to China aims to alleviate poverty in Pakistan. This corridor is expected to boost Pakistan’s economy by facilitating global trade through this route. However, India opposes the CPEC project, viewing a prosperous and stable Pakistan in South Asia as a threat.
India has been accused of financing and training anti-Pakistan groups in Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to disrupt the CPEC. In Balochistan, groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch National Party (BNP), and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) are reportedly spreading terrorism with Indian support. Similarly, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, organizations such as the National Students Federation (NSF), Jammu Kashmir Students Liberation Front (JKSLF), and Jammu Kashmir Movement for Independence (JKMI), as well as some foreign-supported NGOs, have alleged ties to India.
India has also been accused of targeting strategists and Kashmiri freedom activists. According to a 2024 Human Rights Watch report, since the January 7, 2024, attack on Sardar Nouman Azam Mughal, the former coordinator of the State Disaster Management, Rehabilitation, and Civil Defense in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, more than 100 social activists and political or religious figures have been killed in Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in a domestic media interview that any freedom fighter speaking against India, regardless of the context, would be targeted globally.
Sardar Nouman is a colleague known for his fearlessness and his strong voice against the enemies of Pakistan.
Pakistan possesses significant potential in tourism, which can boost the GDP and export industry. The realization of this potential is further supported by the CPEC project.
Long live Pakistan!
Vincent Lyn
CEO & Founder of We Can Save Children
Deputy Ambassador of International Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
Director of Creative Development at African Views Organization
Economic & Social Council at United Nations (ECOSOC)
Rescue & Recovery Specialist at International Confederation of Police & Security Experts