Pankaj Saran, a member of the National Security Advisory Board, took the stage at the NDTV Defence Summit today and urged India to scrutinise how its ally, the United States, talks to its adversary, Pakistan. He framed his remarks as a clinical observation that nations must understand the dynamics of their partners when those partners engage with foes.
Saran pointed out that the United States’ policy over the past eighteen months has undergone a complete turnaround in its relationship with Pakistan, a shift that has found its way into Indian headlines. He cited Operation Sindoor as a leap of faith and praised it for establishing a new doctrine in India that no previous government had attempted.
The senior security expert also highlighted the United States’ active role in the Russia‑Ukraine conflict, noting that the U.S. is negotiating from the White House, not from lower‑level departments. He warned that this high‑level engagement signals a broader shift that will affect India’s Indo‑Pacific strategy, and said India must read the script being written at Washington.
Saran cautioned that Pakistan’s internal turmoil limits its capacity to launch a serious offensive against India and that any misstep would carry heavy costs. He called the potential for a Pakistani miscalculation a folly that could undermine the nation’s stability.
In closing, Saran urged that India stay alert to the US‑China‑Russia triad’s moves and prepare its own doctrine accordingly, setting the tone for a new chapter in Indo‑Pacific security.