India’s foreign policy continues to do Cha-Cha-Cha in reverse gear – one step forward, two steps back. There is much emphasis on learning from the past, but we forgot Chanakya’s mantra of Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed, wherein Gadhey Ko Mama Bolna Chahiye (call the donkey “Uncle”)) when needed, be it Tom, Jerry or Donald Trump. Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the US to attend the Quad Summit chaired by then POTUS Joe Biden, Trump announced “friend” Modi will come to see him. But Modi avoided him, which ignited Trump’s tail. Then came the missing call to Donkey Uncle.
Pakistan “bought” Trump despite India being the fourth largest global economy, even though our debt repayment is becoming difficult with 40%+ taxpayers’ money going into repayments.
Social media is awash with India cocking a snook at Trump’s 500+ tariffs threat because we are signing FTA with multiple countries. Then why has India’s import of Russian crude dropped 29% month-to-month, recording lowest ever in December 2025? Now the Reliance Group is to buy oil from Venezuela in USD, eating further into our reserves and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav attended a rare mineral meeting in the US. American weapons and weapon platforms continue to be imported despite proven unreliability of the US. A billion-dollar plus deal for F-404 engines is only for 80% technology transfer, not 100%. In Trump’s first presidency, we gave up on cheaper and next-door Iranian oil and now we are scared to take the Russian offer of Su-57 with full technology transfer under Make in India – going for more expensive Rafales (bigger kickbacks)? A tweet by Dr. Brahma Chellaney, says..
An Indo-American view is that India lost Trump to Pakistan not only because Modi not telephoning Trump, and Trump’s idiocies, but also because: one, Vinay Kwatra was posted as India’s ambassador to the US despite his dismal performance in Bangladesh; two, tackling the Donald Trump Administration was left to EAM S Jaishankar and his son Dhruva Jaishankar who is influencing India’s foreign policy.
India’s appeasement of the US is in the backdrop of Indian politicians settling their children in the west. Dr. Jaishankar’s son Dhruva and daughter Medha are US citizens living in the US. NSA Ajit Doval’s son Vivek is a British citizen, living in Singapore, and director of the ‘GNY Asia Fund’; registered 13 days after Modi announced demonetisation in November 2016. There are allegations of potential conflicts of interest and links to increased FDI from Cayman Islands after demonetisation. Of Piyush Goel’s two children, one is settled in Washington DC. These are only few examples.
US ambassador to India Sergio Gor posted on X: “A quick update: @SecRubio Just concluded a positive call with @DrSJaishankar. They discussed next steps regarding our bilateral trade negotiations, critical minerals and a possible meeting next month.” So, we are looking for a critical mineral deal with the US (like Pakistan) while importing REEs from China! Fearing Trump, no defence deal was announced during the recent 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit at New Delhi. Expect the same meek approach (submitting to trade in Dollars) when India chairs the 2026 BRICS Summit: with Jaishankar already announcing focus on ‘humanity-first’ strategy to promote global welfare. What humanity first when India lacks guts to condemn severe human right violations against women by Taliban and genocide in Gaza with 71,000+ Palestinians killed and attacks continuing?
Europe, with its Nazi-cum-neo-Nazi culture, will continue to be part of Washington’s kennel club. Witness German Chancellor Friedrich Merz raised the issue of India importing Russian oil during his recent trip to India. With total focus on trade, FTA’s are sought sans “any other” consideration. After economic offender Lalit Modi jeered India, the MEA says “will bring back all fugitives” by 2047? Several economic fugitives have origins/companies in Gujarat, and many like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, are in the UK. So why didn’t we link their extradition with the FTA when India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty effective since 1993? Is this deliberate act being deflected by the election stunt of getting back the Kohinoor?
India’s backflip from a feigned stand against China, to prostrating is even more amusing. Gone is India’s demand for return to the 2020 pre-April territorial status and troop deployment by both sides in Eastern Ladakh. Shaksgam Valley is in the spotlight presently, but PLA deployments in Shaksgam and improving infrastructure has been ongoing for years. A new Chinese road entering Shaksgam through Aghil Pass, and a Pakistani road connecting Muzaffarabad to Mustagh Pass on the border with Shaksgam, and linking beyond to Yarkand in China was in the works. China plans to open a front for Siachen from the North through Shaksgam and through Turkistan La. Now China has unambiguously claimed that Shaksgam Valley is Chinese territory, coinciding with a vice minister–led Chinese delegation visiting BJP headquarters in New Delhi. Chinese help to Pakistan during Operation ‘Sindoor’, which resulted in multiple IAF aircraft losses on day one are forgotten! Reports of India planning to remove all restrictions on Chinese investments and businesses would obviously be implemented soon.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi rubbishing Chinese claim to Shaksgam has no meaning, when Jaishankar and Doval lack guts to say this face-to-face to China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese officials. Presently, 100-120 Pakistani terrorists are poised to infiltrate into India. There eight active terror camps in Pakistan; six across the LoC and two across the IB. Why are we not at least hitting the launch pads and terrorist camps across the LoC? Are we afraid of Pakistani response? Does the Army still have the so-called free hand? Should we borrow political will from Israel?
Covering up the government’s pusillanimity is amusing. One Sheikh Chilli claims India got back 1,000 sq km territory from China.
Another post says Indian Army has regained patrolling rights to 982 sq km in Depsang (Eastern Ladakh) of territory lost to China in 1962, and gained access to 56 sq km in Demchok. Question in social media is should Jaishankar/Doval or both be given Padma Award for this?
The fact is India was patrolling these areas before China redrew the LAC in Eastern Ladakh in 2020: we then lost control of 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points (PPs). After two years plus of denying access to Indian patrols, the 2024 India-China Border Patrol Agreement was signed; restoring patrolling rights in Depsang (not entire Eastern Ladakh). This agreement underscored territorial claims of both countries, this too with following caveats: Indian patrols to be on foot or horseback, not vehicle-borne; both sides to info each other through hotline at least 24 hrs prior to the patrol; one PP can be visited in a month by both sides. So, no area has been retrieved, which we lost in 2020 and China continues to call the shots; allowing access to our patrols with conditions. PLA continues to consolidate in their new locations. China was constructing a border village in Demchok bang on the LAC, which must be competed now. There is no change in the areas of Galwan, Hot Spring and Pangong Tso. On the north bank of Pangong Tso, India is left with one solitary post between Fingers 2 and 3, but we cannot patrol eastwards as before, while PLA has positioned tanks at Finger 10 and the metalled road linking it to Finger 3 is intact.
Who the prime minister’s advisors are is ambiguous. Modi wrote to the UAE to lift the ban on the movie ‘Dhurandhar’ although the movie is banned in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Pakistan. This indicates the limited influence India has, while we boast of leading the Global South. As if on a cue, Gen Dwivedi visited a Hindu temple during an official visit to the UAE, although he avoided visiting the Pashupatinath Temple when he went to Nepal.
Can we shut the door to the US, withdraw from Quad, saying we will reconsider when America behaves and its reliability is established? Apparently no, even though some European countries are reconsidering their ties with the US. We should have occupied Karakoram Pass when China invaded Eastern Ladakh in 2020, but instead, we meekly vacated the Kailash range in our own territory. How long will India be unable to stand up to China and the US; although spin doctors will depict Trump and Xi kowtowing to Modi. With India opening the floodgates for China (ignoring all aspects of security), there is a view that India should immediately convene a RIC meeting at New Delhi, sending a strong signal to Trump. But Trump could then cancel the US citizenship of children of Jaishankar, Doval, Goyal and other Indian politicians, and boot them out, since he plans to cancel the citizenship of even naturalized US citizens.
A “smart” strategy would have been treating the Chinese delegation at BJP headquarters to gau mutra (cow urine), making them join Shri Mahakal Mahotsav/Magh Mela 2026@Prayagraj, and bathe in the holy waters. This could have made China shut its evil eye on Arunachal, return Aksai Chin and Shaksgam to us, and even plan on vacating Tibet.
The author is an Indian army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
