New Delhi, June 6 -- India and Pakistan do not only carry the burden of their own hostility. Their rivalry holds back the whole of South Asia. For nearly eight decades, the region has lived with wars, border crises, terrorism allegations, diplomatic breakdowns, water disputes, nuclear risk, and blocked regional cooperation. This is why India-Pakistan relations need to be settled not as a symbolic peace project, but as a strategic necessity for South Asia's future.

The latest reminder came in 2025. After the April 22 attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir region that killed 26 people, India blamed Pakistan-backed militants. Pakistan denied involvement. On May 7, India launched strikes across the border, saying it had targeted "terrorist infr...