India's Involvement in Nepal: A Lesson Pakistan Can't Afford to Ignore

If you want to understand the fragile heart of South Asian politics, you have to look at the constant tug-of-war between standing on your own two feet and being pulled into someone else’s shadow. Right now, there’s no better place to see this drama unfold than in Nepal. We’re watching a government that rose to power promising to stand up to India now slowly, but surely, drifting right into its arms. For us in Pakistan, this isn’t just news from a neighboring country; it’s a stark warning.

Think about the hope the Nepali people must have felt. They elected leaders on a clear promise: to push back against India’s constant meddling in their affairs. Everyone was tired of the trade pressure, the political games, and the diplomatic bullying. But that hope didn’t last long. Instead of building a wall against India’s influence, their leaders started opening doors to it, tossing aside the very promises that got them elected. What’s left? A country drowning in political instability, mistrust, and the bitter taste of betrayal.

We’ve seen this movie before. Decades ago, it was Bangladesh’s story. A nation born from a fight for sovereignty found itself getting tangled up in a dependency on India, as one government after another leaned on New Delhi for support. This didn’t strengthen them; it weakened their own leaders in the eyes of their people and fueled deep-seated unrest. In both these stories, the villain isn’t just bad politics—it’s the heavy hand of Indian interference.

This is where the lesson for Pakistan becomes crystal clear. Our democracy has its own battles, but there’s one truth that has been tested time and again: when our sovereignty is on the line, the people instinctively stand with the army. This isn’t blind faith; it’s a lesson learned the hard way. It comes from knowing that while politicians might bend under foreign pressure, our armed forces never will when it comes to defending the nation. That bond—the unspoken trust between the people and the army—is the shield that protects us in a region where India is always trying to be the big boss.

Let’s be honest about India’s role in all of this. It consistently uses its size and economic weight to bully its smaller neighbors into submission. From trade blockades that crippled Nepal to meddling in Bangladeshi politics, New Delhi’s goal has always been to create a neighborhood that serves its own interests. But you can only push people so far before they push back. Nepal’s current chaos is the direct result of a government choosing to please a foreign power over its own people.

Here in Pakistan, we know this playbook by heart. India’s attempts to weaken us aren’t just at the border; they use propaganda, diplomatic traps, and covert games to divide us from within. The message from Nepal is a wake-up call: any government that compromises with India will lose the trust of its people. The only firewall against this kind of pressure comes from an institution that cannot be manipulated. For Pakistan, that institution has always been the army.

Now, this isn’t an argument against democracy. Of course, we need strong civilian leadership for Pakistan to thrive. But we have to be realistic about the world we live in. Our sovereignty is under attack every single day. A fragile government, exposed to all kinds of pressure, can’t always stand firm. In this reality, the army isn’t a rival to democracy; it’s the wall that protects our right to even have a democracy.

As we watch Nepal stumble through this crisis, we need to take a hard look in the mirror. The faith Pakistanis place in their army isn’t a weakness; it’s a smart response to the dangerous neighborhood we live in. In a region where India wants to call all the shots, the only guarantee for stability are the institutions that can’t be bought, bent, or bullied. For Pakistan, that means holding the bond between the people and their army sacred and vowing to never repeat Nepal’s mistake.