India roared, and the world shrugged.
The Modi government’s reaction to the Pahalgam attack was so predictable that it was almost comical: within hours, without any inquiry or supporting documentation, New Delhi pointed the quivering finger directly at Pakistan. For anyone even vaguely familiar with the BJP’s stale political strategy, it was déjà vu.
All the states deeply condemned terrorism and the killing of innocents, including Pakistan, However, what utterly disappointed India was how none of them blamed Pakistan just because India claimed Pakistan to be guilty. Right there India knew something was different this time. The world did not follow India’s manufactured rhythm this time. No loud denunciations. No fireworks from the diplomatic side. There isn’t a global chorus supporting India’s unfounded accusations of “terrorism.” Just quiet. Silence, cold and calculated.And the loudest diplomatic rebuke India has heard in years has resulted from that silence.
India thought the world would follow suit. They thought Washington, London, and Brussels would repeat New Delhi’s hysterical headlines and swallow its half-baked narratives whole once more. After all, hasn’t this always worked in the past? Make accusations against Pakistan, incite domestic indignation, and incite nationalist fervour— and then watch as the world goes along.
However, India was greeted with disinterest rather than cheers. Doubt is even worse.
The very basis of India’s foreign policy aspirations has been rocked by the international response— or lack thereof. The world has been watching, but the Modi regime was too drunk on its own propaganda to notice. Observing India’s transformation from “the largest democracy in the world” to a paranoid, ultra-nationalist nation fixated on projecting its own shortcomings. Observing how its government transformed journalism into treason, dissent into sedition, and diplomacy into a public relations campaign.
Pakistan opted for diplomacy over drama, while India frothed at the mouth. Islamabad exemplified statesmanship in its response to the Pahalgam incident. There was only a firm, dignified demand for evidence, impartiality, and truth— no irate rhetoric or retaliatory bluster.
With the kind of poise that highlighted how frequently Pakistan has been the target of Indian scapegoating, Pakistan’s Foreign Office declared, “False flags and premature accusations serve no one.” “Pakistan, the region’s largest victim of terrorism, demands evidence, not propaganda.”
Pakistan changed the course of events with that one statement. In a volatile neighbourhood, it positioned itself as the mature actor rather than the accused. The world was urged to wait for facts by Pakistan, not India. For once, the world paid attention.
The biggest irony in India’s diplomatic meltdown may be that, despite advocating for victims on the international scene, it is also charged with planning real state-sponsored killings abroad.
Let’s go back.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a political bombshell in June 2023 when he claimed that India was responsible for the British Columbia assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This was more than just an accusation; it was supported by surveillance, intelligence, and the full force of Canada’s legal system. As expected, India denied it. However, the world took notice.
The USA followed. The FBI revealed an Indian plot to kill another Sikh activist in New York in November 2023. They made arrests. The names were made public. Indian intelligence networks were directly linked. India suddenly appeared to be the wolf itself, rather than just a nation that was crying wolf.
Indian death squads operating inside Pakistan’s borders have also been a silent horror. Surgical strikes of shadow warfare— targeted killings committed with impunity— have silenced critics, dissidents, and voices of resistance. This is a pattern, not conjecture.
With its foreign policy in ruins, its moral posture in ruins, and its diplomatic credibility at an all-time low, India is vulnerable today. In the meantime, the long-maligned and misunderstood Pakistan is defended.
Let us now pose the question that the world is finally starting to consider: How can a country that conducts international assassination campaigns maintain its moral superiority in the fight against terrorism?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called both Islamabad and New Delhi during this geopolitical conflagration. Even though the events of these meetings didn’t make for dramatic headlines, they had profound implications.
Rubio established a respectful and cooperative relationship with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He declared, “We acknowledge the sacrifices made by Pakistan and the necessity of dialogue over division.” His remarks, which were a clear indication of Washington’s shifting focus, highlighted regional stability and praised Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.
Compare that to the formal, uncomfortable appearance of Rubio’s meeting with S. Jaishankar, the Indian External Affairs Minister. No reference to Pakistan’s responsibility. No flaming proclamations. merely ambiguous requests for “continued engagement.” It was an opportunity to take pictures. Not a collaboration.
Sadly, India’s attempt to persuade the USA to support it was unsuccessful.
The collapse of what many refer to as the “Modi Doctrine,” a self-proclaimed vision of Indian global dominance based on performance, projection, and propaganda, lies at the core of this diplomatic disaster. Dominance without legitimacy, however, is an illusion. The illusion is now dissolving.
The Modi administration has used accusations of terrorism as a domestic tool. There is a sudden “terror incident,” a spike in anti-Pakistan rhetoric, and the domestic demonization of minorities during every election season. The world has finally grown weary of the act, and the script is so overdone that it is now laughable.
Even worse, India’s own actions are damaging its reputation. The democratic mask has fallen, from burning churches in Manipur to demolishing Muslim homes in Delhi, from stifling Kashmiri voices to imposing gag orders on journalists. What’s left is a Hindutva-inspired government that is nauseous and intolerant of criticism.
Pakistan has been demonized on the global scene for years, frequently unjustly and frequently as an easy scapegoat for India’s shortcomings. However, Islamabad has been subtly restoring its reputation around the world in recent years by being open, patient, and diplomatic.
Pakistan is reclaiming its position as a responsible international actor by hosting high-level discussions with China, the USA, and Gulf states, as well as by actively participating in forums related to economics, climate change, and counterterrorism.
And that consistent diplomatic work is now bearing fruit in the wake of the Pahalgam incident.
The Modi administration made a mistake. It believed that everyone would follow its falsehoods. It believed that traditional stories would be relevant in the modern era. However, things have changed.
With its foreign policy in ruins, its moral posture in ruins, and its diplomatic credibility at an all-time low, India is vulnerable today. In the meantime, the long-maligned and misunderstood Pakistan is defended.
Pakistan, not India, has become the voice of reason in a world that is becoming more and more wary of sensationalism and insatiably curious about the truth.
The propaganda is no longer credible. The lie was not believed by the world. A new reality has surfaced in that silence: Pakistan is writing the next chapter in India’s history, which has ended the period of its undisputed narrative.
