Hard Power over Soft Power: India’s Strategic Approach towards Pakistan

Abstract

Regional stability in South Asia suffered a significant setback in May 2025 when India, accusing Pakistan of sponsoring cross-border terrorism, launched Operation Sindoor. This military escalation marked a new peak in the longstanding hostility between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and posed a serious threat to regional peace. While India has actively employed soft power strategies such as cultural diplomacy, development aid, and media influence across much of its neighbourhood, its approach toward Pakistan has remained predominantly hard power-oriented, largely due to enduring territorial and water disputes. Drawing on Joseph Nye’s concept of soft power, this article critically examines the 2025 India-Pakistan war to evaluate limitations of soft power in this volatile bilateral relationship. The study further explores the challenges that Pakistan may face in the post-conflict landscape. The study reveals that India’s unwillingness to utilize and promote soft power in Pakistan stems from multiple factors that remain unaddressed to date, consequently hampering the bilateral soft power potential. By adopting a case study approach, the research investigates the prevalence of hard power in India-Pakistan relations and exposed the limitations and potential of soft power in crisis management.

Keywords: Soft Power, India, Pakistan, Operation Sindoor, 2025 India-Pakistan war