Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter explores a rare moment of potential transformation in India–Pakistan relations through the lens of interpersonal diplomacy among three key political figures: Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and Indian Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Vishwanath Pratap Singh. It builds on the prior chapter’s analysis of Rajiv Gandhi and Zia-ul-Haq’s tentative trust-building and considers whether Bhutto and Gandhi, both young and globally-minded leaders, could move beyond the legacies of partition and Cold War politics. The chapter traces the surprisingly warm bond forged between Bhutto and Gandhi across several face-to-face interactions in 1988 and 1989, arguing that their shared generational outlook and personal rapport constituted a strong interpersonal bond—one more robust than previous bilateral dyads examined in the book. Despite this, the chapter shows how this interpersonal trust ultimately failed to aggregate into broader policy change, particularly in relation to the Kashmir conflict. After Gandhi’s electoral defeat and Singh’s rise to power, this promising bond was effectively nullified. Singh’s coldness toward Bhutto, compounded by domestic political pressures and hard-line stances, led to a breakdown in trust, re-freezing the India–Pakistan relationship. Through this case, the chapter illustrates both the potential and limits of personalist diplomacy in overcoming entrenched interstate hostilities.</jats:p>