Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), on Wednesday said India must proactively shape the regional order as shifting geopolitical dynamics in South Asia increasingly affect the country’s national security.
Speaking at a seminar on “Changing Dynamics in India’s Neighbourhood” organised by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) in the national capital, the CISC emphasised that developments in neighbouring countries have direct implications for India’s strategic environment.
“The central challenge for us is not merely to respond to events but to shape the regional order proactively,” Dixit said.
He stressed that the traditional notion of India’s neighbourhood as merely a peripheral space was outdated. “There is a phrase that has been used to describe India’s neighbourhood, that it is India’s near abroad. I want to suggest that this framing no longer serves us. Neighbour is not near or far, it is us,” he said.
“Every instability in the neighbourhood finds its way to India’s doorsteps, and the inverse is also true, every act of genuine partnership India offers finds its way back as goodwill, trust and strategic space,” he added.
Referring to recent political and strategic developments in Bangladesh, Dixit said ties between the two countries had entered a more uncertain phase.
“The ouster of Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and the anti-India sentiment that followed under the caretaker government ended what we once called the golden era of India-Bangladesh ties,” he said.
He warned that Dhaka’s increasing engagement with China in the infrastructure and defence sectors signalled a strategic shift. “These are not the decisions of an adversary, but they are the decisions of a neighbour that no longer sees India as its default security partner,” he remarked.
Calling for a realistic approach, Dixit said India must address concerns through dialogue and cooperation. “We must address Bangladesh’s sovereignty concerns maturely, work bilaterally on new projects and have frank conversations about the use of civilian ports like Mongla as potential logistics hubs for external naval powers,” he said.
Discussing the situation in Nepal, Dixit said political turbulence in the country had implications for India’s northern security calculus.
“Nepal’s political turbulence carries direct implications for India’s northern security calculus,” he said, adding that Kathmandu’s attempts to diversify economic ties and reduce dependence on India required a calibrated response.
“We have to respond with patience, not panic,” he said, emphasising the need for stronger border management and deeper economic engagement.
On Bhutan, Dixit described the relationship as one of India’s most trusted partnerships but cautioned that ongoing border negotiations between Bhutan and China could have strategic implications.
“Yet Bhutan’s border negotiations with China, underlined by the three-step roadmap signed in 2021, introduced genuine strategic uncertainty. The 470 km Bhutan-China border overlooks the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land passage connecting India to its northeast, making any deal in that region a matter of the highest strategic sensitivity for India,” he said, adding that Bhutan’s trust in India’s commitment must be earned continuously and it should not be assumed.
Speaking about India’s maritime neighbourhood, the CISC highlighted the importance of economic support and crisis response as tools of influence.
Referring to India’s assistance during the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, he said, “In the Indian Ocean, influence will increasingly flow not from coercion but from economic stabilisation, connectivity and crisis responsiveness.”
On Maldives, Dixit stressed that India must project itself as a supportive partner rather than a dominant power.
“Influence must appear enabling, not dominant,” he said, adding that India must institutionalise security cooperation so that engagement “is not episodic but enduring.”
Turning to security concerns in Myanmar, Dixit warned that prolonged internal conflict in the country was affecting India’s border stability.
“Every rupee spent securing an unstable border is a rupee not invested in development along the frontier,” he said.
He stressed that stabilising the neighbourhood was in India’s own strategic interest. “Stabilising our neighbourhood is not an act of generosity but an act of national self-interest,” he said.
On Afghanistan, Dixit said India remained concerned about the potential reactivation of militant networks targeting the country.
“Any deterioration in Afghanistan or renewed extremist activity poses a direct security risk to us,” he said.
Discussing Pakistan, the CISC said the country continued to pursue an adversarial strategy towards India. “Terrorism and military coercion remain instruments of Pakistani state policy,” he said.
Referring to the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Dixit said the operation had altered deterrence dynamics between the two countries.
“Operation Sindoor demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that India has found space for effective conventional operations below the nuclear threshold,” he said.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s recent military restructuring, warning that it could accelerate crisis escalation in future conflicts.
“It means crises may evolve faster. Escalation ladders may compress. Conventional conflict space will expand. Decision-making in Islamabad may become quicker but also more prone to error,” he said.
Dixit emphasised that India must combine diplomacy, economic engagement and credible military preparedness to maintain stability in the region.
“Stability in India’s neighbourhood will not come by itself. It must be earned through consistent engagement, through credible deterrence, through economic generosity and through the courage to act when action is needed,” he said.
