![Prime Minister Narendra Modi with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at an official event. [Photo Courtesy: Praveen Jain via The Print].](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20-scaled-e1755601883425-1024x576-1.webp)
The Facade of Indian Strategic Autonomy
Abdul Basit
February 19, 2026
India’s strategic autonomy faces pressure as US trade leverage, energy dependence, and defence ties test New Delhi’s balancing doctrine.
![Afghan men search for victims after a Pakistani air strike hit a residential area in the Girdi Kas village, Nangarhar province on February 22, 2026. [Aimal Zahir/AFP/Getty Images]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/gettyimages-2262391441.webp)
India’s strategic autonomy faces pressure as US trade leverage, energy dependence, and defence ties test New Delhi’s balancing doctrine.
Washington’s new security lens is transactional. Partnerships must pay. For India, sentiment won’t suffice, deliverables will.
Pakistan convened an Arria-formula UN Security Council meeting, emphasizing that the Indus Waters Treaty remains fully binding. International law and treaty sanctity were upheld against India’s unilateral
CPEC is driving Pakistan’s structural economic transition. By shifting focus from infrastructure to industrialization, value-added manufacturing, and maritime development, Pakistan is integrating into global supply chains and repositioning itself as a regional production hub.
Presented as a landmark of global economic integration, the EU–India Free Trade Agreement masks a deeply unequal structure. While India dismantles protective tariffs central to its industrial base, European firms retain advantages through subsidies, non-tariff barriers, and green protectionism. Rather than enabling industrial upgrading, the deal risks locking India into a dependent trade pattern, importing high-value capital goods while exporting low-value products, undermining the very logic of Make in India.
The EU–Pakistan Business Forum 2026 marks a strategic pivot toward diversified, ESG-driven investment, de-risked finance, and regulatory alignment beyond GSP+ trade ties.
The Indus Waters Treaty is facing its gravest test as India’s unilateral actions on the Chenab transform water from a shared resource into a tool of coercion. In a climate-stressed region, disrupted river flows and suspended data sharing threaten Pakistan’s agrarian economy, food security, and regional stability.
Despite being one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions, South Asia remains deeply fragmented. From failed COP coordination to weak regional institutions, political rivalries and elite interests undermine collective climate action, leaving millions exposed to escalating environmental risks
At COP30, nuclear energy emerged as a key solution for global clean-energy transitions. For Pakistan, expanding nuclear power, especially through Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), offers a path to cleaner, reliable electricity, despite challenges like high costs and restricted technology access.
The 2025–2026 Nipah virus cases in India illustrate that high-risk pathogens are not confined by national borders. Through selective disclosure, delayed reporting, and episodic containment, outbreaks compel neighbouring states to implement proactive biosecurity measures, highlighting the strategic significance of regional health governance.
Women’s empowerment in Pakistan is a catalyst for progress, fueling economic growth, innovation, and stronger governance. Empowered women are shaping the nation’s future and driving measurable development gains.
Tirah Valley, long exploited by Kharij networks and their facilitators, has been subjected to sustained intelligence-based operations (IBOs) rather than any conventional military offensive. Grounded in intelligence, community engagement, and the Bagh Joint Action Plan (BJAP), Pakistan’s approach prioritizes civilian protection, targeted neutralization of terrorists, and the restoration of long-term stability, countering persistent propaganda with verifiable facts.
An analysis of Pakistan’s cross-border action, security rationale, and regional implications amid rising militant threats.
UN report warns of rising TTP attacks from Afghanistan and growing regional terror threats, rejecting Taliban claims of eliminating militants.
Analysis of Taliban claims versus UN findings, examining sanctions, militant presence, and Afghanistan’s regional security impact.
An analysis of Pakistan’s cross-border action, security rationale, and regional implications amid rising militant threats.
UN report warns of rising TTP attacks from Afghanistan and growing regional terror threats, rejecting Taliban claims of eliminating militants.
Analysis of Taliban claims versus UN findings, examining sanctions, militant presence, and Afghanistan’s regional security impact.
Al Jazeera’s portrayal of TTP militants as “fighters” raises concerns over journalistic bias and counterterrorism framing.
![Prime Minister Narendra Modi with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at an official event. [Photo Courtesy: Praveen Jain via The Print].](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20-scaled-e1755601883425-1024x576-1-300x300.webp)
India’s strategic autonomy faces pressure as US trade leverage, energy dependence, and defence ties test New Delhi’s balancing doctrine.
UN report warns of rising TTP attacks from Afghanistan and growing regional terror threats, rejecting Taliban claims of eliminating militants.
UN Security Council renews Taliban sanctions monitoring as Afghanistan remains a hub for international terrorist networks.
India’s strategic autonomy faces pressure as US trade leverage, energy dependence, and defence ties test New Delhi’s balancing doctrine.
Washington’s new security lens is transactional. Partnerships must pay. For India, sentiment won’t suffice, deliverables will.
Al Jazeera’s portrayal of TTP militants as “fighters” raises concerns over journalistic bias and counterterrorism framing.
Analysis of Balochistan’s security landscape, where militancy exploits socio-economic grievances even as CPEC-driven investments seek stability through infrastructure, education, and connectivity.
South Asia Times (SAT) and CISS AJK signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 11 February 2026 to collaborate on research, policy briefs and strategic dialogues.
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