India and Pakistan have had a strained, and at times hostile, relations since independence. The two countries have not been able to develop any lasting peaceful relationship despite sharing borders, history, and culture. The Indo-Pak hostility stems from frequent wars, border disputes, and political conflicts, particularly on the issue of Kashmir.
Another significant issue facing Pakistan is the evident unequal and asymmetrical power dynamics between the two countries. India is a much more powerful economy, has a robust military, and wields more influence in the world, which provides it with an advantage in shaping regional policies and influencing international discourses.
Pakistan, on the other hand, is left with few instruments to move India towards serious dialogue without damaging its international interests or jeopardizing its further isolation. This asymmetry makes it extremely difficult for Pakistan to have any influence on the behavior of India, particularly when the latter does not feel the pressure to act.
The Asymmetry in Relations:
The disparity in the economic and military power between Pakistan and India is one of the central features of the asymmetry between the two countries. The economy of India is worth more than 3.7 trillion dollars, and is the fourth largest economy in the world; whereas, the economy of Pakistan is less than 400 billion dollars, and is nearly ten times smaller.
Source: Forbes India
The massive economic disparity, between India and Pakistan, enables the former to spend more on defense, diplomacy, and technology. India had budgeted approximately 75 billion dollars on defense in the 2024-25 budget, as compared to 9 billion dollars by Pakistan. Not only does this military advantage provide India with more strategic confidence, thus, putting Pakistan under pressure to deter increasing Indian influence, despite relatively lower resources.
India has good diplomatic ties with world powers such as the United States, France, Japan, and members of the QUAD alliance. It is also gaining more recognition in international platforms like the G20, BRICS, and SCO.
On the other hand, the Pakistani foreign policy can be regarded as rather limited and extremely dependent on a small number of partners, primarily China and certain Gulf states. Although Pakistan maintains a good relationship with China, India has already managed to create a powerful narrative in the global arena with its vibrant media, active diplomacy, and big diaspora. Although this image of India suffered significantly after the military and diplomatic debacle post-Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan has Few Choices of Action:
Pakistan made attempts to establish ties with India using official diplomatic means, including the Composite Dialogue Process and Track-II diplomacy. These negotiations have been frequently halted, though, particularly following high-profile attacks such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks or the Pulwama attacks in 2019 then in 2025 due to the Pahalgam crisis. The conventional diplomacy is still stalled, cordial ties between Pakistan-India remain unachievable without satisfaction of conditions of India—which are unilateral, unreasonable, and politically biased.
Without official dialogues, Pakistan has resorted to backchannel diplomacy to have some form of communication with India. Such informal negotiations, mediated by third parties, including the UAE or Saudi Arabia, have resulted in temporary victories, like the 2021 reaffirmation of the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire. These channels are, however, weak, and they tend to fail when political tensions increase. Furthermore, they are unable to tackle more fundamental problems such as Kashmir or trade unless the political will can be demonstrated by both governments, which has been lacking on both sides, particularly in New Delhi.
Pakistan has tried pressurizing India by taking-up the Kashmir issue to International Forums. Although this approach remained unfruitful, till-date, and has done little to alter the behavior of India. Naturally, any escalation has the danger of military conflict, which the weak economy of Pakistan and its international status can barely afford. Hence, there is very little room for applying hard pressure as a diplomatic tool.
The Strategic Trade-Offs
The intense Pakistan preoccupation with India, particularly about the Kashmir conflict, has at times been at the expense of general foreign policy objectives. Most of Pakistan’s efforts on the international front have been to counterbalance India on the Kashmir issue. These efforts could instead focus on increasing trade and diplomatic ties with regional players such as in Africa, Southeast Asia, or Central Asia. A narrowed approach to foreign policy prevents Pakistan from maximising the benefits of economic diplomacy and new trends in the world, including regional connectivity or climate cooperation.
Pakistan is also not able to enjoy the benefits of regional economic opportunities due to tensions with India. As an illustration, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has been lying dormant over the years because of the bilateral stalemate, and as a result, Pakistan has not been able to trade and network with other South Asian countries.
Ideally, better ties with India would allow land access to Central Asia and increased investment in the region. The strong alliance that Pakistan enjoys with China, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), gives the country economic sustenance and strategic relief. This is one of the reasons why India is resistant to engagement with Pakistan, other reasons obviously include their politically-motivated and hardline stance.
India also views CPEC as an intrusion of its sovereignty because it runs through Gilgit-Baltistan, which it considers to be part of the state of illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This orientation of China can therefore be a strength and a constraint. It enhances the position of Pakistan in the region but makes normalization with India even harder, as New Delhi is moving towards aligning with the West and seeing Islamabad through the prism of China.
On the Way to a Realistic Engagement Strategy
Considering the apparent dead-end in efforts to comprehensively settle all bilateral conflicts, particularly Kashmir, only a more realistic, gradual strategy can prove helpful. This implies involving India in certain, less controversial areas such as trade, water cooperation in the Indus Waters Treaty, and climate resilience. These smaller issue-oriented exchanges can be confidence-building activities and slowly open up the space to dialogue. This is a strategy that prevents excessive loading of talks with sensitive issues that typically halt progress.
Pakistan must also take the initiative to use platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and even the United Nations to create multilateral pressure towards regional peace. Pakistan can take a more constructive tone that will encourage growth, development, and cooperation in the region. This will not only enhance the diplomatic status of Pakistan but also deter Indian global-regional hegemony and halt their efforts to isolate Pakistan on the diplomatic front.
Pakistan also needs to spend on redefining its international image, and invest more in soft power to shift the asymmetrical power dynamics in its favour. For this focus should be less on conflicts and security and more on economic opportunity, investment, and stability in the region. A more robust economy will boost the credibility and bargaining power of Pakistan, thus becoming a more desirable and competent state to deal with India and other states.
