Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol the fenced border with Pakistan in Suchetgarh, southwest of Jammu January 16, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS
The last week has shown just how fragile peace overtures between Pakistan and India really are. After a year of incremental progress, tensions on the Line of Control (LoC) have threatened to undo all the progress. First, Pakistan’s hockey players were threatened by the Shiv Sena in Mumbai and now our women cricketers have to figure out whether they will feel safe playing in that city for the upcoming World Cup. Now, India has put off an already long-delayed scheme to give elderly Pakistanis visas on arrival at the border. This scheme would have allowed Pakistanis over the age of 65 to get non-reporting visas for 45 days and the ability to visit up to five Indian cities. The security threat posed by this agreement is minimal since senior citizens are rarely security risks. The move seems to be the first manifestation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that the two countries cannot engage in ‘business as usual’.
India must be apportioned much of the share of the blame for deteriorating bilateral relations. Tensions along the LoC arose after two Pakistani soldiers were killed in cross-border shelling. The facts surrounding the deaths of Indian soldiers a few days later are still disputed but the initial Indian claim that one of them was beheaded now seems to be incorrect. Yet, elements in the Indian government and media stoked anti-Pakistan sentiment to such an extent that a souring in relations was inevitable.
Pakistan will be tempted to retaliate in kind, perhaps, by putting off granting India the most-favoured nation trading status once again. This would be unwise. Now is a time for tamping down tensions, not aggravating them. We need to be the more mature partner here and ask India to join us at the negotiating table. The last few years have shown that talks can lead to progress but now we can also see how quickly that progress can unravel. The correct response to this would be to double down on negotiations and not give up on them altogether.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2013.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
The after taste of the lead article is bad. Whether the throat was slit or not can not be the matter of editorial opinion; he can at best recommend a thorough inquiry & suggest ways to put some physical distance between the testosterone-rich adversaries at LoC. On MFN the writer thinks it is some method of reward-punishment-retribution-approbation. It is simple quid pro quo. Lacking the usual style & substance this editorial lets down the Editor. It is opinionated but not an opinion maker, nor is it really based on hard evidence & it sure is not objective. It is well intended insofar as supporting the peace process but being poorly informed it can't educate the reader. There is no refreshing perspective provided, it is more like a rehash of what the shouting brigades of both sides have already said.
This article truly belongs to the comments section by a stretch. There is no analysis or logic whatsoever. Firstly, Shiv Sena, RSS, VHP are nothing more than mouth-pieces of right wing rhetoric, unlike the assault weapon wielding, rocket launcher lugging seriously committed types on your side. Shiv Sainiks wanted the Pakistani players out of India unlike the attack on Srilankan players on your soil (which was for blood). Would you blame Indians for not entertaining Pakistani nationals, when one of their kind was horrendously decapitated within Indian borders by Pakistani army or proxies ? And to top it off the denial mode of the Pakistani administration. Do you seriously believe India would jeopardize the painfully gained momentum in the peace talks otherwise ? Who stands to lose more if the peace talks fail ? It is India, with it's intention to uplift it's masses out of poverty (however deficient), it's respectably chugging economy, the livelihoods of it's 300 million middle-class, the foreign investments, the already burgeoning debt payments, and all the hard gained advancements in technology, sciences, are you absolutely sure that India would put all these at stake ? Please, think.
Time for India to discuss with pak over POK issue . These lingering issues can't be left idle. MMS should refrain from talks and come to action asap.
@Naseer Ahmad: "Do we have a match for Dr Manmohen Sing in our leadership. " You don't know how lucky you are that you don't!
Yes we should engage India to join us in negotiations to deescalate tension on LOC but the problems is that our political leadership is reluctant to take over the control of foreign and defense policies from the army because of their incompetence and lack of interest in the conduct of international relations. After the Sala Check Post attack, the lengthy deliberations of the Parliamentary committee on National Security, its recommendations and unanimous resolution of the parliament failed to produce workable guiding principals for redefining our terms of re engagement with the United States. Do we have a match for Dr Manmohen Sing in our leadership. How can Jalil Abbas Jilani and Salman Bashir deliver in this situation.
Indian claim that one of them was beheaded now seems to be incorrect
You mean its a normal occurance that people's heads disappear
Pakistan will be tempted to retaliate in kind, perhaps, by putting off granting India the most-favoured nation trading status once again.
Visa was a favor, MFN is not a favor, Pakistan has to give India the MFN status as per WTO or rather you would have India revoke the MFN status to Pakistan too
In the whole editorial, the mention of Pakistani army was never to be found......Don't you think it is a biased article where whole blame was put on Indian army while the Pakistani army is pictured as innocent as a cow
Since the election in Pakistan is very near, everybody in the world knows who is warmongering and who wants to derail the elections..........That's why world doesn't believe you and does not respond to your claims.
It is well known that it was the Pakistan who started all wars with India or provoked India to retaliate
Follow following rules in General - Don't Blame India or other countries for your irrational acts. - Try investigating honestly for the sake of your own good. - think your own citizens good rather than good of other country citizens(muslims) - secure your borders internally and externally so that unauthorised persons don't come in and go out without your knowledge. - Be honest and accept your past/present mistakes bravely.
this is what the citizens of the world are expecting from you people.
Editorial is one big central opinion piece in a newspaper. Many, like me, look forward to reading an editorial of prestigious newspaper every morning. As gp65 said before, please atleast do your homework/research before writing otherwise you will look fool. Remember it is read all over the world, not just by Pakistanis.
"The facts surrounding the deaths of Indian soldiers a few days later are still disputed but the initial Indian claim that one of them was beheaded now seems to be incorrect. " - Quality of editorial is evident :)
The very one billion Indians whom Ms Khar did not feel necessary to respond, are driving the India's Pakistan policy. No Indian politicians worth his salt can ignore the will of Indian masses. Majority of Indians don't trust Pakistani government in general and the Pakistani army in particular. Nothing will change between India and Pakistan till Zihadis are put in their right slots. I am surprised that even a person like this editor does not believe that head of Indian soldier was severed. Unfortunately this is story of Indo-pak relations and will remain this way.
Please remember that there are minor players ON EACH SIDE that do not want to see better peaceful relations between Pakistan and India! The reasons for this vary, but probably could be reduced to political (and personal) gains achieved by keeping the conflict alive. If the media forces ON EACH SIDE highlight these players and expose their narrow agendas, then maybe better lives for the public could be achieved!
"The facts surrounding the deaths of Indian soldiers a few days later are still disputed but the initial Indian claim that one of them was beheaded now seems to be incorrect".
India's COAS and PM have confirmed the beheading. Are you saying they are lying?
"The correct response to this would be to double down on negotiations and not give up on them altogether".
No-one on Indian side ever said they would not negotiate. In fact their request for a flag march was ignored for 4 days by Pakistan. There were 57, 60 and 112 ceasefire violations in 2010, 2011, 2012 by Pakistan. What the Indian Air Chief has now said is that the Indian side will pay attention to actions not just words and holds the Pakistani side accountable when the actions fail to match words.
"India must be apportioned much of the share of the blame for deteriorating bilateral relations." Relations would not have deteriorated if the soldier had not been beheaded. If your expectation is that Pakistan can act but India must not react then that is a naive assumption.
Other peace initiatives should certainly be put on hold until Pakistan upholds its side of the bargain e.g. MFN which was supposed to happen by December 2012 and now Pakistan establishment has acivated the DPC to protest against it. It should be recalled that this was in lieu of India waiving its objection to EU trade benefits for Pakistan. India did its part 14 months back but Pakistan is dragging its feet on honouring its commitment. Other commitments that Pakistan has failed to honour are the anti-India banned terror outfits openly collecting funds or anti-India terror camps openly flourishing in Mirpur and Sind photos of which have been provided to Pakistan.
Conveniently the editorial ignores the PAK firing on India bunkers that set off the course of events to suit the sermon.
I wonder the editorial staff reads India newspapers. Beheading of India Soldiers incorrect?
Advocating for peace is laudable, and suggesting to maintain the course of peace is appropriate but such sermons should be based on facts.
The editorial assumes that entire Govt of India is lying and that is where the editorial loses its sincerity.
PAK has everything to lose in the rising tensions on LoC and India has nothing to gain whether there is peace or not in LoC. That has been the fact for the past 65 years of PAK history and will continue to be the case for decades to come.
The only people who are interested to invest in PAK are India, US and PAK and PAK is pretty good in biting the hands that feed her.