Drums of war

Both the nations should determine what the Kashmiris want and end this dispute once and for all.

Every time a peace dialogue is initiated between India and Pakistan, an incident occurs which immediately derails the process. In the wake of recent ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC), India rejected Ban Ki-moon’s offer to mediate between the two countries. They have consistently rebuffed such offers, whether by the United Nations or any other third party, arguing for a bilateral solution instead. However, even in a bilateral scenario, very little progress has been made because of India’s refusal to recognise Kashmir as a disputed territory. In reality, there has been no political resolve to fix the issue due to India’s determination to keep its 500,000 troops in place, while branding it as an internal matter and then ignoring it.

The UN Security Council Resolution 91 established the United Nations Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to observe and report violations of ceasefire along the LoC. However — in direct violation of the Security Council — the Indian military has restricted UNMOGIP’s activities on its side of the fence. Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to report all ceasefire violations to the UNMOGIP. If there is nothing to hide, and human rights atrocities are not being committed in Kashmir, then the UN observer group should be given full access along with human rights groups, which should be welcomed with open arms.

Unfortunately, Pakistani concerns regarding the Kashmir dispute too often fall on deaf ears. The combination of media image control, sheer size and a strong Indian lobbying presence in DC, provides our neighbour with a significant advantage. For instance, the Wadhwani Chair in US-India policy was established in January 2011, at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies to assess economic and “strategic issues”. This DC chair was made possible due to ‘generous support’ by the Wadhwani foundation. There’s no need to wonder why the mention of a UN plebiscite is met with immediate objection from so many foreign South Asian experts, despite the fact that both India and Pakistan are signatories of the UN Security Council resolution mandating the action.

It is time to move beyond old arguments and rhetoric convenient for each side. For instance, expecting Pakistan to withdraw its military from Gilgit-Baltistan, while India keeps 500,000 troops in Kashmir, is not reasonable. Similarly, China is not going to relinquish its land either. The environment has changed and the status quo is not leading anywhere as 23 UN resolutions remain unimplemented. Yes, there are terrorists in Pakistan and Pakistanis are victims of those terrorist attacks as well. There is also growing extremism within India, for instance, the rise of Narendra Modi and company. So, denouncing Pakistan is not the solution when it is obvious that these terrorists are not under the control of the state. A more fitting response would be to engage in some constructive conflict-resolution to resolve this dispute and eliminate a source of unnecessary violence. Dialogue between the two countries should not be held hostage by each firing episode at the LoC; no progress will ever be made in that case.

Facing a withdrawal of US troops and the ensuing chaos on its western border, Pakistan has a clear motive to avoid upheaval on its eastern border. As the self-proclaimed largest democracy in the world and an epitome of development and human rights, India has an opportunity to prove these declarations are more than mere window dressing. Pakistan has enough demons of its own to deal with, hence, it desires a peaceful resolution with India more than ever. Instead of calling it a ‘bilateral’ issue and then refusing to discuss it, both countries should welcome the UNMOGIP, determine what the Kashmiris want and end this dispute once and for all. Until this happens, all that the toothless UN can do is keep reiterating the need for peaceful talks, attempts at these dialogues will likely be hijacked and terrorism will keep festering in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2013.

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