Pakistan, Oct. 24 -- India presents itself to the world as the largest democracy, a secular republic, a rising power and a dependable partner. Recent evidence suggests a widening gap between that self-portrait and reality. Democratic institutions are under strain at home, criminal networks and visa abuse are damaging India's reputation abroad, and a transactional foreign policy is eroding trust among partners. These are not separate stories. They share one logic: image over accountability, majoritarian power over restraint, and interest over principle.

The clearest signals come from those who measure democracy. V-Dem ranks India 106th on its Electoral Democracy Index, scoring 0.38, the lowest since the Emergency of 1975, and classifies i...