India is a confident and vibrant nation, while Pakistan — created in 1947 — remains a country that is adrift and still searching for a national identity. So, the India-Pakistan "peace process" has produced a lot of process over the decades but no peace.
Every time a Pakistani leader moves to build better ties with India, the step is undermined by Pakistan's politically strong military masterminding a serious cross-border attack or terrorist strike. In recent months, the Pakistani military establishment — which includes the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — has actively sought to undercut Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and derail any prospect of rapprochement with India.
It is not an accident that this month's border tensions and artillery duels have followed a power struggle in Pakistan that culminated with Sharif's wings being clipped and the military reasserting authority in foreign policy.