First it was the army spokesman at Rawalpindi announcing a new war strategy, two days later, the Pak army chief Asim Munir told the National Assembly, the internal threat is grave and supported by foreign forces.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani media has unleashed a massive blame game against India for supporting the Baloch rebels.

In this backdrop, it  is quite surprising why during the 60-hour visit of the Director of the US intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to New Delhi, India didn’t raise the growing threat to peace in the region.

Instead, according to media reports, the Indian defence minister, Rajnath Singh raised the issue of the activities of the separatist, Khalistanis in the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Tulsi Gabbard a bottle of the Holy water from the Kumbh, recently concluded in Prayag, where the confluence of the  rivers Ganga and Yamuna takes place.

During her visit, a security conference representing 20 countries also took place in New Delhi. There, however, was no mention of the uprising against the Pakistani army’s repression and exploitation of the people of two border provinces of Pakistan, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or KPK. who are on a warpath.

With the accusations against India, the ongoing rebellion may be  spreading to Sindh and the Punjab bordering India. A worst scenario of the period 1970-71, when the majority Muslims of Pakistan’s eastern wing struggled to become Bangladesh, perhaps, awaits us.

There is a growing apprehension among the scholars of foreign and strategic affairs in New Delhi that in a bid to seek the support of the US-led West and China, Islamabad might embark upon a war against India. Its groundwork is being done thoroughly.

There are whispers in the South Block, which houses three key ministries, the defence, external affairs and the office of the prime minister that the issues related to the immediate threats to peace were deliberately kept on the back burner, but never explained.

Opportunity Missed

It is quite intriguing that the Indian authorities could have told Tulsi as well as at the conference held under the banner of Raisina Dialogue that the ongoing struggle for freedom in the two provinces are actually caused by the non-representative nature of the hybrid regime under the strict control of the uniform in Pakistan.

The Baloch are not only being exploited by Pakistan, but its army is engaged in doing illicit mining of rare minerals in their province. Even the poor Baloch fishermen are being deprived by the Chinese trawlers catching fishes. On the other hand, the people of KPK refuse to accept the Durand Line, which divides the people of the province.

It is quite intriguing that despite the obvious threats from Islamabad, the issue was neither taken up with Tulsi Gabbard nor before the two-day security conference held on March 17-18.

Could it be the Ambani factor? It, however, cannot be denied that in recent years, the Mukesh Ambani factor is being increasingly felt in the key areas of the country’s foreign policy. Even the Russian foreign minister Lavrov in an earlier conference has told the organizers to get “your questions verified by Washington” before asking him.

Tulsi’s presence, however, in the Indian capital could not have been better timed. She was in India during the meeting of the high-profile experts of security and strategic affairs held under the Rasina Security dialogue, a joint venture of Ambani’s think tank,  Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The Spinoffs

The impact of the two-day session of the 10th. edition of the Raisina Dialogue for security is to be ascertained yet. The conference was focused on the theme of the kalachakra i.e. focusing on people, peace and planet. The security issues related to India’s neighbourhood did not receive the attention in the high-profile conference. It, however, could not be denied that Tulsi’s brief presence might have boosted the confidence of the participants, especially in the context of India’s role in the region.

It was expected that  her presence might set in motion the resumption of India’s more substantial contribution to the region’s political stability, but not by ignoring the current threats.

China’s economic stakes are also quite high in the region. Its connivance with the Pakistani army in conducting excessive mining, fishing and fortifying their port, Gwador, is also one of the factors that has triggered rebellion in the mineral-rich province of Baluchistan.

The unspoken agenda of the visit of Tulsi Gabbard could be a part of the exchange of information between India and the US much more exhaustive than being shared during the erstwhile regime of President Joe Biden.

The history might soon be repeating in Pakistan with its further fragmentation, but would be being accompanied by graver threats to India.

 To face this threat, the Indian establishment, however,has to be unshackled from the non-state players of Indian industries.In this backdrop, it is not surprising that there is little preparation in the present bureaucratic-driven approach for seriously preparing for tackling the threats looming on her horizon.

Modi’s experiment to replace his party’s seasoned leaders by assigning the steering of his government to a selected group of  loyal bureaucrats, many of them occupying cabinet positions, has not only reduced his credibility, but also hurt the country’s vital interests.

It has already weakened his government politically. They have already caused national shame, when the handcuffed enchained Indians were recently brought to India. It is being repeatedly justified by the Indian foreign office and a section of Indian media known to be close to the Modi government. It is not known who advised Modi to guide Tulsi to achieve salvation through the holy Ganges water obtained from the Prayag.

Gopal Misra has been associated with national and international media. His books on journalism and geo-politics have been well-appreciated. Views are personal.