Leading Indian defence analyst Pravin Sawhney has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to execute a drastic course correction in Indian foreign policy by attending the state funeral of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 9 July, 2026, using the opportunity to initiate ice-breaking talks with Pakistan.
The recommendation follows reports that the Indian Premier may skip the high-profile funeral in Iran, an event expected to draw leaders from Global South. Contextualising the shift in regional dynamics, Sawhney emphasised that India’s aspirations to play a major role in global affairs depend entirely on development and regional stability, rather than merely attempting to lead the Global South.
“So, I think that there is a need for a course correction to India’s foreign policy in a very drastic way and Prime Minister Modi should go to Iran personally heading the delegation of senior ministers,” Sawhney opined.
He noted that the visit would allow New Delhi to engage directly with Beijing and Islamabad. “There he’ll have the opportunity to meet up and talk with…and perhaps to shake hands and break the ice with the Pakistani leadership, because remember in 2027 the presidency of BRICS (Brazil Russia India China) is with China and presidency of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) is with Pakistan, and surely prime minister Modi will be expected to be at both the places.”
He underscored that Pakistan has successfully positioned itself as a major regional power, graduating from a simple facilitator to an active mediator, as evidenced by the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)” signed between Iran and the United States in Switzerland.
“Pakistan is the right country that can get that can create the Islamic framework with the help of the other players the regional players in West Asia it can do that,” Sawhney asserted, adding that the country’s unique attributes as the only nuclear-armed Muslim state empower it to anchor this framework which will further strengthen Pakistan’s position in Middle East.
The analyst warned that India needs peace to develop its stature which is impossible with the country’s current dismissive approach with neighbours. “You need a resolution of the two military lines that India has with Pakistan and China,” Sawhney concluded.
