Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of…

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Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Sport and culture can only partially generate India-Pakistan goodwill, because each gesture has been overtaken by terror and security concerns. Cricket diplomacy from Jaipur (1987) to Mohali (2011) and the Kartarpur Corridor (2019) built trust, yet Kargil, Pathankot and Pahalgam reversed it.

**Introduction**

In 1987, amid the Brasstacks crisis, General Zia-ul-Haq flew to Jaipur to watch a Test match and tension eased. Such "cricket diplomacy" shows soft power can soften India-Pakistan hostility, but terror attacks limit how far goodwill travels.

**How Soft Power Has Generated Goodwill**

1. **Cricket as icebreaker**: The 2004 "Friendship Series" welcomed thousands of Indian fans in Pakistan, and the Manmohan Singh-Gilani meeting at the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali reopened dialogue.
2. **Shared culture**: Common languages, Sufi music and cinema bridge both publics; Coke Studio Pakistan and Pakistani dramas found large Indian audiences.
3. **Faith-based exchanges**: The 1974 Protocol on visits to religious shrines and the Kartarpur Corridor (2019), opened for Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary, let pilgrims cross with ease.

**Why Its Reach Remains Limited**

SKETCH: forcefield | India-Pakistan Goodwill
center: Bilateral goodwill
driving: Cricket, Cinema and music, Pilgrimages, Shared language
restraining: Cross-border terror, Army's veto, Kashmir dispute, Hostile media

1. **Hostage to terror**: The 1999 Lahore bus was followed by Kargil, and Modi's 2015 Lahore visit by Pathankot (2016).
2. **Exchanges suspended**: No bilateral cricket series has been played since 2012-13, Pakistani artistes were barred after Uri (2016) and the Samjhauta Express stopped in 2019.
3. **Security overrides culture**: After Pahalgam (2025) and Operation Sindoor, even the Kartarpur Corridor was suspended.
4. **Army's veto**: Pakistan's army, not its film-loving public, shapes India policy.

**Conclusion**

Soft power can only partially build goodwill: it keeps a peace constituency alive but cannot replace an end to cross-border terror. Sustained as a people-to-people track while India insists that terror and talks cannot go together, it can prepare the ground for peace when political will allows.

Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples.

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