What was lacking in the May 7-10 armed conflict with India was strategic communication — something that is responsible for the prevailing stand-off between Pakistan and India. When the DGMOs of the two countries contacted each other after the ceasefire, it reflected strategic communication between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

De-escalation of the conflict was only possible when the military officials of the two sides entered into strategic communication.

What is strategic communication and how is it essential in the context of de-escalation and consequent talks between two adversaries? Why did the strategic communication, an established phenomenon in the Indo-Pak relations since 1980s, break down in a crisis situation and how can it be revitalised in the months to come?

According to AI, "Strategic communication is a purposeful approach to using communication to achieve specific organizational goals, whether that's influencing stakeholders, driving change, or improving brand perception. It involves planning, executing, and evaluating communication strategies to ensure they effectively reach and engage the intended audience.

This includes understanding the audience, crafting clear and consistent messages, and using appropriate channels to deliver them." According to sompplr.com, "Strategic communications is a specialized approach to distributing and receiving information. It means communicating the best message, through the correct channels, to the right people, at the right time and using feedback from this process to stay focused on company goals."

In his speech before the 22nd Asia Security Summit Shangri-La dialogue held........

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