India’s international ambitions put to the test by Indo-Pakistan relations

International audienceFollowing the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the massive military deployment that took place on both sides of the Indo-Pak border and the fear of it escalating into another war between the two countries, ultimately proved to be simply a peaking of tension typical of the seesaw profile characteristic of Indo-Pak relations. Three years after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s “historic” trip to Lahore, followed by the Kargil war three months later, and approximately one and a half years after General Musharraf’s coup d’état, Indo-Pak relations are at an all-time low. Suspicion reigns on both sides to an extent never encountered before. This is all the stronger on the Indian side as for them Kargil constituted a betrayal. President Musharraf’s official visit to India on July 14, 15 and 16, 2001, which could have initiated a dialogue between the two countries, ended in virtual failure..