India-Parker’s tensions are not in the interests of the United States, distracting India’s attention from China: Experts

London: A leading London-based security expert noted that many countries, including Western governments and Russia, spoke of the need to combat terrorism, saying the sympathy statements to India were true.

Walter Ladwig, a senior lecturer in international relations at King’s College London, said in an interview with ANI that successive U.S. administrations have tried to cultivate India as a major partner in the Indo-Pacific, partly because of the confrontation of China. He added that the conflict between India and Pakistan was not in the interests of the United States.

“In India, we’re going to be back in a row with the U.S. governments all the way back to George W. “It’s not in the U.S. interest to clashes between India and Pakistan, because it distracts India’s attention from the larger situation in Asia,” Radwig said.
He noted that India’s economy grew nearly 7% per year but needed further acceleration to achieve its development goals. “All of these things will be dangerous due to protracted conflict or impasse with Pakistan, so it is clearly not in the interests of the United States,” he said.

Dr. Ladwig also commented on India and Pakistan’s understanding of stopping military operations and expulsion. He noted that this was largely a decision between the two parties and the result of international mediation, contrary to the past claims of leaders like former U.S. President Donald Trump.

India launched Operation Sindor on May 7, conducting precise strikes on Pakistan’s terrorist infrastructure and Pakistan-occupied Jamu and Kashmir in response to Pahargam terrorist attacks. India also retaliated against Pakistan’s aggression by targeting the air force game.

Ladwig pointed out that India had previously conducted a surgical strike in 2016 and carried out air strikes on terrorist camps in 2019 to deal with major terrorist attacks. The recent Pahargam attack killed 26 people, which has caused widespread global condemnation.

“I think many Western governments, Russia and even China talk about the need to fight terrorism after the Kashmir attack. The sympathy for India is real,” Radwig said. “You don’t have Indian diplomats running around trying to get the government to say these things.”

He compared the current U.S. response with the Trump administration’s response in 2019, which gave India a “green light” after the Pulwama attack, but said the current response is a standard response to the South Asian crisis, not a tilt to Pakistan.

Dr. Ladwig also praised India’s military precision and strategic shift. He noted that India has shifted from assembling archives of evidence to having Pakistan accountable for allowing terrorist organizations to take safe havens on its soil – to present a direct military response.

“For me, the most striking thing is the shift in India’s policy. Now, there is no position that there is no safe haven to prevent terrorists enough to justify military operations,” he said. “The Indian Air Force’s ability to accurately hit a range of targets is impressive.”

He further stated that India has performed a more successful mission during the recent exchanges, achieving a broader goal than Pakistan. He also acknowledged the asymmetry in the statement of evidence, and India provided more detailed evidence than Pakistan.

India and Pakistan agreed to cease hostilities after the Director-General of Pakistan Military Operations (DGMO) summoned his Indian counterparts on May 10.