India Seeking Partners Against Terrorism Not Mediators

---

 


India has made its position unmistakably clear: it welcomes international partners in combating terrorism but firmly rejects any external mediation in what it considers an internal matter - the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The narrative pushed by some countries and actors that India and Pakistan are locked in a bilateral “conflict” over Kashmir misrepresents the realities on the ground.
While tensions between India and Pakistan carry the risk of escalation, potentially involving two nuclear-armed nations, the core issue for India is not a territorial dispute.
Rather, it is the persistent and brutal terrorist attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir - now under the direct governance of New Delhi following the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019.
ADSThe assertion that Kashmir remains a disputed territory reflects a political bias, especially from nations like Iran and Malaysia.
These countries have been vocal critics of India’s decisions but fail to acknowledge that Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.
Their refusal to accept this undermines India’s sovereign rights and exposes their partiality toward Pakistan’s narrative.
KashmirFacing growing international isolation and potential punitive measures from India - including the reconsideration of water-sharing arrangements under the Indus Waters Treaty - Pakistan has begun appealing to other nations to mediate.
These appeals are less about peace and more about internationalising the Kashmir issue, a long-standing objective of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
‘State-sponsored terrorism’
Pakistan’s efforts to deflect attention from its role in sponsoring cross-border terrorism are not new.
Whenever it fuels unrest in Kashmir through proxy groups and non-state actors, it simultaneously seeks to absolve itself by positioning itself as a victim and calling for dialogue or mediation.
This dual approach - provocation followed by pleas for diplomacy - is well known and widely documented.
India, however, has consistently maintained that any discussion with Pakistan must be bilateral and must begin with Pakistan ending its support for terrorism.
Countries like Iran and Malaysia, which have expressed interest in mediation, are not seen as neutral by India, especially when their own public statements reflect sympathy toward Pakistan’s position.
Furthermore, some of these nations struggle with their own records on ethnic and religious rights, making their moral authority on India’s democratic pluralism questionable.
ADSIndia values its relationships with countries across the world, including Iran and Malaysia. However, it draws a clear line when it comes to its internal matters, especially those involving national security and territorial sovereignty.
Path to peace
The focus of the international community, if it genuinely seeks to support peace in South Asia, should be on urging Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that has taken countless innocent lives.
If figures like Mahatma Gandhi or Nelson Mandela were alive today, their moral clarity would likely lead them to condemn terrorism in all its forms.
The path to peace in South Asia does not lie in international mediation of India’s sovereign matters, but in a unified global effort to confront and dismantle terrorism.
Before offering advice or mediation, nations should take a hard look at their own domestic challenges and consider how they can support the principles of peace, pluralism, and non-violence, not by equating victims with perpetrators, but by confronting the root causes head-on. - Mkini
SATEES MUNIANDY is secretary in the Interim Council of Urimai.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---