When Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to “isolate” Pakistan on the world stage, it played well to the domestic gallery. After Pulwama, after Uri, and again after his high-profile Sindoor strikes in 2025, New Delhi pushed the idea that Islamabad would be left without friends, without money, and without diplomatic oxygen.
The reality today tells a different story: Pakistan is still funded, still welcomed, and still backed by powers that matter. Modi’s gamble has failed.
The IMF and Gulf Kept Pakistan Alive
India lobbied hard in Washington and at the IMF boardrooms to choke off Pakistan’s lifeline. Yet, in May 2025, Islamabad received over $2.4 billion in fresh disbursements, with additional climate financing on top. Saudi Arabia and the UAE rolled over deposits. For all the noise from Delhi, the money kept flowing.
Washington Still Wants Pakistan
If Modi thought Donald Trump’s return meant automatic alignment against Pakistan, he miscalculated. Within weeks of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir was feted at the White House. For Washington, Pakistan’s military is still a useful partner on counter-terrorism and regional crisis management. India may fume, but the U.S. continues to hedge.
And here lies Modi’s bind: India cannot afford to diminish Trump or pretend Washington can be replaced by Moscow or Beijing. Russia is chained to China, and China is Pakistan’s biggest patron. That leaves only one viable partner for India’s strategic and economic future — the United States. No amount of chest-thumping at home can change that fact.
China Will Never Abandon Pakistan
Perhaps the greatest flaw in Modi’s isolation rhetoric is ignoring the China factor. For Beijing, Pakistan is not just a partner; it is a strategic asset.
- Through CPEC, tens of billions have been invested in power, roads, and Gwadar port.
- Whenever Pakistan nears default, Chinese banks roll over loans.
- At global forums, China ensures Islamabad has a voice — as seen at the 2025 SCO summit, where Shehbaz Sharif stood on the same stage as Modi, Xi, and Putin.
China gains from Pakistan’s survival. A friendly, stable Pakistan keeps India tied down in the west and provides Beijing a permanent lever. Expecting Beijing to walk away was never realistic.
Modi’s Foreign Policy Missteps
The failures are clear:
- Over-promising: Modi sold “isolation” as a deliverable outcome when no major power was prepared to enforce it.
- Under-estimating China: Pakistan’s bond with Beijing makes quarantine impossible.
- Alienating the U.S.: Tariff wars and trade spats with Washington reduced India’s leverage just when it needed American alignment most.
- Chasing optics: From boycotting SAARC to military theatrics, Delhi emphasized gestures over sustainable strategy.
The Hard Truth
Pakistan is not isolated. It is propped up by China, courted by the U.S. military establishment, and funded by the IMF and Gulf. Modi’s rhetoric of leaving Pakistan “friendless” has been exposed as hollow.
India does have tools — punitive trade measures, limited military deterrence, and targeted diplomacy. But Modi’s failure lies in selling the illusion of total isolation, then watching the world move in the opposite direction.
The path forward requires humility:
- Work with Trump’s Washington, however difficult.
- Stop pretending Moscow or Beijing are alternatives.
- Push for issue-based, verifiable steps against terrorism rather than sweeping boycotts.
In global diplomacy, overreach is punished. Modi has just learned that lesson.