A Perspective on the Balance of Power in India-Pakistan Relations in Light of Recent Developments

The aim of this article is studying the balance of power in Asia in the light of competition between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan since their independence have been in perpetual struggle due to their common background. For example, after the nuclear test by India in 1974, Pakistan tried to maintain its defense balance with this country. During the 1990s, these two countries obtained nuclear deterrence to keep the balance of power between them and their relations became subject to zero sum power equation. Given the vents occurred since the beginning of the 21st century including the killing of Ben Laden, strain in relations between Pakistan and the U.S/ struggling against terrorism, nuclear and security cooperation between India and the U.S. and their impact on relations between the countries situated in South Asia and their relations with the outside world, the question is posed that what is the perspective on the balance of power in relations between India and Pakistan? The hypothesis of this article is that given the crisis situation in relations between India and Pakistan in South Asia, both countries are trying to balance each other, to change the balance in their favor by making alliances and coalitions with the countries outside the region and to enter into strategic relations with extra-regional countries. It is worth mentioning that to test the abovementioned hypothesis; we use the method of future studies and back casting technique.