| Summary/Abstract |
The purpose of this paper is to assess the nature of India's public diplomacy towards South Asia and critically evaluate its performance. It argues that India’s public diplomacy (PD) efforts are more focused on other regions rather than the South Asian Region. This apparent lack of focus is due to the fact that India’s foreign policy has not been pro-active towards its immediate neighbours except for policies such as the Gujral Doctrine, which have since become stagnant. The lack of focus on SAARC countries by India’s PD division is also because most of India’s New Public Diplomacy (NPD) is focused on the domestic public rather than the foreign public. This is quite contrasting to the general trend elsewhere wherein States have oriented their PD efforts to reach foreign audiences to improve their soft power. Thus, the paper suggests a review of India's public diplomacy efforts to expand its reach and influence in this area.
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