I agree with you. This letter is meant more for Indian consumption than it is as a submission for serious consideration in foreign policy. I don’t think any Indians foolishly believe that the US is going to change the tunes on Pakistan anytime soon. Obama needs Pakistan to act to pacify the Taliban and capture the Al Qaida elements in Pakistani cities.
But, this letter is really a demonstration of a much more complex and mature foreign policy approach by India. One that involves engagement with governments at all levels and all over the world. It would come as no surprise to me if one of the backers of this think tank was GoI.
What it really shows is that Indians are able to keep the pressure up on Pakistan by engaging foreign governments at official levels, and civil levels. The India caucus is fairly large in the US Congress, and this letter is just meant as a “but don’t forget” type of message.
The general consensus amongst Indian think tanks is that Indian and foreign business need to bypass the Pakistani governments and Army and engage the people directly. Instead of giving aid, give business loans and direct business investments. If you look at the much larger body of publications by Indian think tanks, that’s what you’ll see. And that really is the message. This is just a side show.