Published: 12:43 PM, 08 December 2025
Stalled Regionalism: A Shared Failure of India and Pakistan
Pointing a finger at only one country misses the reality: regional stagnation is a shared failure. India has not always demonstrated the inclusive, confidence-building leadership that its size demands. Pakistan has not provided the political stability or diplomatic consistency needed to build lasting trust. -Collected
Shahidul Alam Swapan Switzerland
South Asia is home to nearly two billion people and some of the world's most dynamic emerging economies. Yet the region remains one of the least integrated on the planet. Institutions such as SAARC founded with high hopes of promoting trade and cooperation have been reduced to irrelevance. The reason is not difficult to find: the enduring rivalry between India and Pakistan continues to suffocate any attempt at regional progress.
The India-Pakistan conflict, rooted in the trauma of the 1947 partition and inflamed by the unresolved Kashmir dispute, has repeatedly spilled into regional forums, turning SAARC summits into geopolitical chess matches or causing them to collapse altogether. But to understand why regional cooperation fails, one must examine the behavior of both states.
India, by far the region's dominant economic and military power, naturally occupies a leadership position. Yet leadership requires political sensitivity, particularly toward smaller neighbors. New Delhi's policies on trade, water, or borders have at times been perceived not as cooperative but as heavy-handed, reinforcing fears of an Indian "big brother" role. Such perceptions give Pakistan and other states ammunition to push back against Indian influence.
Pakistan, however, carries its own share of responsibility. Its foreign policy has long been shaped by the military and by a security doctrine centered almost entirely on India. Political instability, the presence of extremist groups, and mistrust of Indian intentions have made sustained cooperation nearly impossible. Meanwhile, India's allegations of Pakistan-backed militancy further deepen the strategic divide.
The result is a region held hostage by mutual suspicion. Trade deals remain unimplemented. Joint projects stall. SAARC has become symbolic rather than functional. And ordinary South Asians pay the price through lost economic opportunity and unrealized development.
Pointing a finger at only one country misses the reality: regional stagnation is a shared failure. India has not always demonstrated the inclusive, confidence-building leadership that its size demands. Pakistan has not provided the political stability or diplomatic consistency needed to build lasting trust.
If the world's least integrated region is to unlock its potential, India and Pakistan must understand a simple truth: cooperation will deliver far greater benefits than confrontation. Until then, South Asia's promise will remain unfulfilled trapped between history, mistrust, and political short-sightedness.
Shahidul Alam Swapan
Switzerland-based Financial Crime Specialist, Columnist & Poet
