'Pakistan was created to keep India under pressure': Ex-ambassador on why the outlook is worse probably now

Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Tuesday made a huge claim that Pakistan was created in 1947 to keep India under pressure. He also said that China has emerged as a key player in this game to keep India on tenterhooks. 

Sibal, who has also served as India's Ambassador to Russia, said that the UNSC's decision to designate Pakistan as the chair of the Taliban Sanctions Committee and the vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee is indicative of China backing Pakistan at the international stage. 

"Pakistan was created to keep India under pressure, and that larger geopolitical game continues, with China now a key player in this game. This gets reflected in the UNSC decisions on the Counterterrorism and Taliban Sanctions C’ttees," he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 

Taking a swipe at Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir, Sibal said that the situation with Pakistan is likely to get worse with a "Hindu-hating newly minted Field Marshal". He further said that Pakistan would have a serious dialogue with India if Kashmir were not on the agenda. 

"We have talked to Pakistan for years. Nothing has changed in Pakistan. With a rabid Hindu-hating newly minted Field Marshal, the outlook is probably worse. Why should we seek a dialogue with Pakistan? Pakistan will not have a serious dialogue with India if Kashmir is not on the agenda," Sibal, who served as the Foreign Secretary of India under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said. 

In his post, he also mentioned that Pakistan is in bad shape economically, but gets repeated bailouts to sustain itself.

"Pakistan is in bad economic shape, but is periodically bailed out. Currently, it is on its 22nd IMF bailout package. India has not taken any financial assistance from the IMF since 1993."

Furthermore, he said that it would be non-serious to suggest that Indian policy makers dismiss Pakistan as a military force. After the Pahalgam terror attack, India announced that Pakistan's military was not being targeted in a bid to limit the scope of the conflict.

"It is non-serious to argue that policy makers in India dismiss Pakistan as a military force. Both before Balakot and now after Pahalgam, India announced beforehand that the Pak military was not being targeted. This was to limit the scope of the conflict to the extent possible," he said in his post. 

He further said that New Delhi has been monitoring the military capabilities Pakistan has been acquiring, while adding that policymakers do not operate based on social media opinions.