Time to listen to logic

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The war-drum beating by India is an anti-thesis of logic and threatens adverse consequences. The Pahalgam disaster is in need of a calculus to identify the perpetrators, and not to opt for a full bloom war. Former head of India's RAW Amarjeet Singh Daulat has stated the obvious by terming the April 22 killings a 'security failure' and that warrants some deep introspection, rather than resorting to allegations to frame Pakistan for ulterior motives.

The spy sleuth sounded rational as he said that despite strained relations, there are "alternative methods to address the situation, such as backchannel diplomacy". India must listen to such voices and scale down the war hysteria by kick-starting an independent probe. Islamabad's offer to be part of any neutral investigations should come as consolation, allowing the room to put the simmering fissures to rest.

There is no other recourse but to join heads for eradicating terror in the region that knows no boundaries and socio-religious limits, and at the same time clear the Augean Stable by addressing the lingering dispute of Kashmir.

With Pakistan's armed forces at high alert and flexing their muscles for an inevitable duel, if pushed into a conflict by India, it's time to climb down the escalation ladder and look for a middle ground.

The talk of limited scale surgical strikes, on the pattern of Balakot in 2019, are misleading and could lead to tapping the nuclear option. Islamabad by offering an olive branch to be part of any probe, and desisting from escalation, has already walked the extra few miles, and the onus is now on India to resort to diplomacy and hold the guns.

Also, there is consensus among global and regional powers that the two sides should lower the guard and choose measures that are not detrimental to the broader prospects of peace and security. India has to keep in mind that it cannot get away with transgression and vendetta, especially at a time when radicalism is on the rise all over, and Delhi itself faces politico-xenophobic trends. Going back to the uneasy peace and state-centric decorum on the April 22 incident is the way to go.