It’s been an emotionally explosive, divisive, and chaotic past week in geopolitics. As the nation settles down to either drumming about what we achieved or reflecting silently on what we lost, it is definitely the time to look back on who stood by India, and by that measure, who looked the other way.
Reading into the IMF loan
In the world of geopolitics and diplomacy, sometimes criticism and betrayal don't come directly; they come masked in a neutral stance or mere lip service. Of all the diplomatic challenges dealt to India during the four-day conflict, allegedly, the $1 billion IMF loan to Pakistan has been particularly symbolic.
Indian opposition parties and left-wing chambers largely projected the grant of a loan as a setback for the diplomatic policies pursued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under S Jaishankar and as a failure of appearances made by PM Narendra Modi on foreign tours.
While the IMF did come under widespread fire for approving the loan, there's also no overlooking the nations that did not abstain from voting for the approval of the same. This, even though India has long sought the attention of the international community on the matter, while maintaining that IMF support to Pakistan is routinely misused.
“I’m not sure how the international community thinks the current tension will be de-escalated when the IMF essentially reimburses Pakistan for all the ordinance it is using,” remarked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The disbursal of loans was done as a part of the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility to Pakistan.
With the ‘voting against’ not being an option, India abstained from voting. However, that wasn’t nearly enough as Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera opined, “The Modi government was expected to lobby with other members to oppose fresh IMF loans to Pakistan.”
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Notably, the United States holds the largest voting share at the IMF, making many infer whether the US supported the loan, let alone oppose it, if at all. Many argue that it is time for India to take a closer look at other key IMF shareholders, which include Italy, Japan, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Russia.
Nations that stood firmly with Pakistan
In a statement perhaps intended to convey clout rather than gratitude, Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged “tremendous support” from Saudi Arabia, China and UAE.
The note of thanks was in a little contrast to Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister’s unannounced visit to New Delhi. The arrival of Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel Aljubeir in India, hours after the conflict, conveyed the country’s commitment and efforts to de-escalate the situation, diffuse tensions and maintain stability in the region.
“A good meeting with Adel Aljubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, this morning,” wrote Jaishankar in a social media post. His arrival coincided with the scheduled visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi for a day-long visit to New Delhi. During his visit, Araghchi also called for a dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi.
Nations that maintained ‘neutrality’
With tensions still simmering across both sides of the border, it is imperative that India gets a grip on its real supporters and sifts through the haze of those maintaining a neutral stance. The calls for restraint and resolution through dialogue and diplomacy are where most nations signed off. The UK, the US, Russia, and the UN reached out to New Delhi and also Islamabad to try and defuse tensions, stressing upon bilateral dialogue. Japan and Qatar joined the long list of nations expressing “concern” over the developments and calling for restraint.
Turkey and Azerbaijan make their stance clear
Pakistan, historically with far fewer friends than India, does not come without allies, some of whom stood vocally against India during Operation Sindoor. As the calls for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan grew louder in India, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again reiterated his stance and pledged solidarity with Pakistan in “good times and bad,” further referring to Shehbaz Sharif as his “dear brother.” Erdogan’s remark came in response to the gratitude expressed by PM Sharif on X.
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Azerbaijan, traditionally Pakistan’s ally for a long time, did not comment on the Kashmir issue while hosting the Pakistan PM in March this year. However, that did not stop Azerbaijan from echoing Pakistan’s position through a statement after the tensions grew post Pahalgam attack.
While Turkey and Azerbaijan were more overt in their support for Pakistan, China and Malaysia backed its calls for “an independent investigation into Pahalgam’s attacks.” China called for restraint but also expressed “regret over India’s military actions.”
Of all the allies of India, its historically long ally, the US, has been a subject of great scrutiny lately by Indian media. The role, statements and stance of the US under the Trump administration have been widely interpreted as a mild letdown, with most accusing PM Modi of converting the bilateral matter of Kashmir open to international interference.
The US’ stance of putting India-Pakistan on an equal footing has also not gone down well with both the right and left-wing chambers in India. However, a clear stance and vocal support for India came from Israel, with Israel’s ambassador to India Reuven Azar stating, “Israel supports India’s right to self-defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent.”
Russia, although called for de-escalation of tensions, pledged its “full support” to New Delhi – a support that was expected, given New Delhi’s equation with Moscow, especially ever since the Ukraine war.
However, support remains a subjective word in the world of diplomacy; consistently shape-shifting and never constant. In times of crisis or military conflicts, it is the support that goes beyond words and translates to resources and veto powers, is the one that matters. The aftermath of Operation Sindoor has made it amply clear who New Delhi can count on.
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