New Delhi: “Our neighbor is Pakistan, which is a part of us, part of our hearts and weapons. We think about fighting them? It is like harming ourselves. And, if they are aggressive, they will harm themselves. This is a strange relationship between India and Pakistan. Strange relationship where there is sorrow and anger, but eventually this relationship is so close and for thousands of years that laws cannot erase it. And, if some harm India, it will definitely harm Pakistan, “Jawaharlal Nehru told the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day in 1957. Nearly seven decades later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit a separate note on Friday.In the current circumstances, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) did not reconsider, he announced that India would not distinguish between terrorists and their sponsors, directly under the leadership of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi underlined that the country would not bow down to “any type of nuclear blackmail”.“The Indus Water Treaty was an injustice for the people of India. India’s rivers were irrigating the enemy country, while our own farmers were deprived of water. Now, India’s water is part only for India and its farmers. A compromise on the interests and national interests of the farmers is not acceptable for us.” Modi said, “India will no longer tolerate nuclear blackmail. If the enemy dare to commit any more misunderstandings, the armed forces will give them an answer. India has decided that blood and water will not flow together. ,Recalling last month’s attacks, Modi said, “Operation Sindoor was an expression of that resentment … At a distance of hundreds of kilometers in the enemy’s area, he reduced the terrorist headquarters into dust … Pakistan is still not sleepy. ,This clearly catchs a change in India’s attitude towards Pakistan. The language of condemnation and vengeance of PM Modi has changed the first terminology of kinship and restraint. From inviting Balochistan, Gilgit and Poke in his 2016 speech citing deep-rich strikes in 2025, his addresses reflect a conscious break for decades, which he has called misinformation.Comparatively, the era of Nehru was shaped by reconciliation despite abetment. Nehru’s framing as inseparable from India’s “Heart and Arms” translated into policies such as IWT and regional concessions under the Noon-Nehru Treaty. Even in front of aggression, he demanded to preserve the relationship.Indira Gandhi’s decisive 1971 victory did not fundamentally changed that mentality. Without making an agreement on Kashmir, according to experts, returning 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war reflects a continuous approach as the “brother” of Pakistan. Rajiv Gandhi’s Independence Day speeches focused to a large extent, focused instead of domestic modernization.Even after the terror was deep, the restraint became strong. In 2009, after less than a year of 26/11 attacks, Manmohan Singh’s address only asked to honor “special assurances and concessions provided to Jammu and Kashmir” – a line that directly avoided the naming of Pakistan. From Nehru’s fraternity to Modi’s firepower, The Arc of Independence Day speeches show how India’s strategic approach on Pakistan and China – has become rigid to hard -folded realism with worldly spirit.
