On Monday, 18^th August, 2025, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood delivered a lecture on “Pak-India Relations” to the participants of the 38^th Senior Management Course (SMC) at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore.

Ambassador Mahmood highlighted the troubled past and uncertain future of relations between the two countries. He noted that while there have been occasional periods of cooperation, estrangement has remained the dominant trend. The relations have worsened since Prime Minister Modi’s rise to power due to his muscular and inflexible approach towards Pakistan.

Ambassador Mahmood identified several negative features defining the Pak-India relationship, including the absence of a structured bilateral dialogue, India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir, state-sponsored terrorism through proxies in Balochistan, the weaponisation of water, trade, and sports, and efforts to damage Pakistan’s global image. He further noted some positive dimensions, including a hotline between the two DGMOs, exchange of lists of prisoners, visits to religious shrines, and meetings of Indus water commissioners.

Ambassador Mahmood termed India’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A as violations of UN resolutions and the Simla Agreement. Highlighting human rights abuses, information blackouts, and illegal detentions in Kashmir, he emphasised that India’s position on Kashmir remains historically, morally, and militarily weak. He noted that Modi’s Hindutva ideology is transforming India into a majoritarian state while using anti-Pakistan rhetoric in domestic politics to mobilise support. He concluded that confidence-building measures remain essential to ease tensions and establish mechanisms for stabilising bilateral relations.

The lecture was followed by an extensive Q&A session.