In a desperate attempt to deflect attention from its strategic failures, India has launched a fresh propaganda campaign aimed at portraying Pakistan as a subservient state to China—an unfounded narrative that has now been decisively debunked by global experts.
Indian media outlets, in concert with state-aligned narratives, have intensified efforts to present Pakistan as a Chinese proxy. The latest attempt came during a televised discussion in which Indian journalist Barkha Dutt claimed that the Indian armed forces are facing a “two-front war,” suggesting that Pakistan operates as an extension of Chinese strategic interests.
This narrative, however, was sharply countered by renowned Singaporean diplomat and global affairs expert Kishore Mahbubani, who called out the Indian establishment’s narrow geopolitical lens. “We are looking at Pakistan-China relations purely through an Indian prism—obsessing over Kashmir and CPEC,” he stated, adding, “That’s a myopic view.”
Mahbubani argued that if Pakistan were truly a satellite state of China, it would not be compelled to seek financial support from institutions like the International Monetary Fund. “Branding Pakistan as a Chinese client state is not only incorrect—it reflects intellectual laziness,” he said. He urged Indian policymakers and commentators to move beyond historical grievances. “India remains fixated on past conflicts and fails to learn from the strategic recalibrations of other nations. It’s not about ideology—it’s about pragmatism.”
He drew parallels with global examples, noting how the United States partnered with Communist China despite ideological differences, and how Vietnam and China maintain robust trade ties despite past hostilities. “Nations rise by turning challenges into strategic advantages—not by clinging to outdated paradigms,” Mahbubani emphasized.
Defense analysts in Pakistan echoed these sentiments, dismissing India’s two-front war narrative as a diversionary tactic designed to placate its disenchanted domestic audience. “India’s fixation on portraying Pakistan as a Chinese proxy is a cover-up for its own policy failures. It’s a psychological operation meant to rally public sentiment,” they noted.
They further stressed that international relations are shaped not by sentiment or ideology but by national interests rooted in geography, security, and economic imperatives. “Every country acts in pursuit of strategic benefit. The idea that cooperation equates to subservience is both flawed and misleading.”
This latest propaganda push, analysts say, reflects India’s broader struggle to come to terms with shifting regional dynamics. But as international voices push back against this narrative, the attempt to redefine Pakistan’s sovereign foreign policy choices as subordination stands exposed for what it is—another chapter in India’s increasingly transparent information war.
