et’s hope that better sense prevails in the Indian subcontinent and both neighbours start the peace process
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The exchange of nationalistic vows and threats continue to destroy peace between India and Pakistan. The jingoistic Indian media is putting all its efforts into bringing the two countries to war. The Pakistani media, on the other hand, is relatively more responsible, though some elements, at times, match the tone of their counterparts across the border. Relations between the two nuclear weapons state are at their lowest ebb in recent history. All blame is on the Uri incident. The Indian media and the right wing Indian government, instead of talking about solutions for the real issues between the two countries, are beating the drums of war. Kashmir has been under curfew for more than two months, nearly 100 people have been killed, and more than 700 have lost partial or total vision because of Indian pellet guns, according to some reports. Expansionist nationalism has made India insensitive over the atrocities committed by its forces against unarmed civilians in occupied Kashmir. Amid high temperatures, the Indian army has made claims to have carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistani administered Kashmir and it has fuelled fire in the highly volatile situation between the two neighbours.
The logic to justify cross-LOC strikes, if there are any, would further escalate the situation. India’s acts have certainly internationalised Kashmir. Pakistan is also in the news for all the wrong reasons. The world media is discussing if there are links between Pakistan and the Uri terrorists. This is the time for the United Nations to play its part to resolve the longstanding Kashmir issue in the name of humanity. Let’s hope that better sense prevails in the Indian subcontinent and both neighbours start the peace process to defeat the ill-intentions of enemies of peace.
Malik Atif Mahmood Majoka
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2016.
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