INDIA’S SWING FROM SOFT POWER TO HARD POWER IN MODI ERA: IMPLICATIONS FOR PAKISTAN

Abstract

      India’s "Look East Policy" (LEP) rests mainly on the soft power of attraction but deep down consuming it to advance hard power. Yet, its rising military strength has been used strategically ultimately firming up its hard power. Since 2014, India's foreign and domestic policies have been marked by intense religious and extreme nationalism. In his election campaigns, Modi continued to emphasize that, if voted to BJP, he would have a hard line against Pakistan and would place Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) right under the control of the central government—a policy that raised huge fears. Subsequently, India's highest foreign policy objective has been to encircle Pakistan from all sides and isolate it internationally. Major global powers, including Muslim countries, have largely been in favor of diplomatic relations with India, thereby enabling it to strategically use regional and international alliances against Pakistan. Operating without facing much regional or international opposition, India unilaterally abolished the special constitutional status of IOK. Concurrently, Pakistan's reactive foreign policy demonstrated a glaring absence of active initiatives to counter India's strategic actions, which were primarily focused on diminishing Pakistan's status. India has persistently exploited Pakistan's weak and vague diplomatic strategies. One of the key findings of this study is that India's stable democratic framework and political continuity have been instrumental in facilitating effective policymaking and institution-building. Conversely, Pakistan's absence of both these attributes has led to institutional instability, weak governance, and passive decision-making approach. The unfolding of this dynamic swing of India from soft to hard power amid coercive military doctrines adaptation is a foundation of discussion. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to study trajectories responsible for Indian hard power designs with South Asian states and results after changing economic, political and military agendas. The data collection of this qualitative research is based on secondary data to demonstrate the analysis under the theoretical lens of Neorealism.

Keywords: BJP, RSS, Pakistan, India, US, China, CPEC, Hindutva.