Army chief to retire on Nov 29; says institutions are stronger than individuals and must take precedence. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
As he prepares to quit the office he has held for six years, Chief of Army Staff (COAS)General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani spoke for the first time on skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the two parts of Kashmir. We can be glad the COAS chose to do so, speaking logically and setting the record straight on a key issue. This is important, given the accusations that had been hurled around, with General Kayani essentially reacting to accusations from Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh that Pakistan had staged a ‘mass incursion’ into Kashmir ahead of winter, sending in 30 to 40 insurgents. There has also been talk from the Indian side of bodies being found after firing from the Pakistan side of the LoC. This has been questioned even within a normally partisan Indian media and no bodies have been produced.
General Kayani makes a valid point when he asks about the implementation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement on the LoC proposed by Pakistan and agreed to by India. This has clearly not been put into effect with an 11-year-old boy killed and three others wounded in firing by Indian troops across the Nakyal sector of the border on October 11. Clearly, such skirmishes heighten tensions, as we have seen before. So do accusations and harsh words, and quite evidently, given the rise in their tone and ferocity, some response was needed from Pakistan. The COAS broke his silence on a long-standing issue at just the right time.
But, of course, there can be little hope of a lasting peace between India and Pakistan while the Kashmir issue and the resulting firing across the LoC continues. It is also true that the division of Kashmir has kept hundreds of families apart and prevented them from seeing each other for years or even decades. The gatherings at the Neelum River, where they shout across to each other, are sad exhibitions of what they suffer. The problem needs to be solved. Accusation will not do this. A mechanism needs to be found and at the very start, as General Kayani has suggested, an agreement reached at least on stopping exchanges across the LoC.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (12)
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@lkhan: Pakistan paid a price in lives lost because of its actions not because of any accidental happening. Do you guys really ever wanted peace? How do you define peace so that it covers all Pakistanis and what do you think needs to be done to achieve that peace?
@lkhan: You're now beginning to believe your own propaganda!! What you say precisely is what is so shocking; inspite of losing so many people to daily blasts, you guys are still talking of "good" and "bad" terrorists.....About the Army/ISI's views on their strategic assets - less said the better!!
@lkhan: Both of us keep insisting on our narrative.
You think Pakistan is a victim of terrorism and hence anybody suggesting that we are colluding with terrorists does not hold water. We think Pakistan is a victim of terrorism it created. Unfortunately it saw these extremist elements as its strategic asset which later backfired.
You think pakistan is doing more than enough enough to stop this terrorism both in terms of life lost and the cost to the country. We think you still are not fighting terrorism as you should be doing, more specifically you turn a blind eye on India targeted terrorism. Afghan neighbors would have a similar perspective on pakistan.
You think Pakistan army is maintaining peace at LOC and Indian is unnecessarily aggravating the environment as it is not interested in peace with pakistan.
We think, the terrorists are infiltrating in large numbers across LOC, right under the nose of the pakistani army and we are sure they cannot do this without some kind of support from the Pakistani army. .
Finally please look into history, your Army/Government denied Kargil, saying it is Indian imagination, you still think Bangladesh happened because of India and finally many people in Pakistan did not believe the mumbai terrorists are from Pakistan.
@lkhan: Pakistan's against terrorist is not a sincere one, its a half hearted effort due to American pressure nothing else. Pakistan is not sincere in its fight against terrorism, thats the main reason daily bomb blasts in Pakistan and also terrorists crossing over to India. For the well being of Pakistan people, it has to take action against terrorist sincerely and whole heartedly
@Arindom: You sound terribly like a broken record - get on in the world.. Pakistan is the nation that has paid the highest toll in human life and resources trying to fight the extremists within and without its borders which were born to fight the west's war in Afghanistan as we all are very well aware of. It has arrested/killed more terrorists than the NATO forces in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. It is trying to bring peace between the Afghan taliban and authorities. It is, lastly most tiring to read partisan bigoted opinions from those who are totally unaware of the broader picture. I for one can not agree more with the above sensible editorial. Yes, Kayani's silence had been put to the test to an extreme by his counterpart in India and deserved a reply. Even then, his words have been to the point, no more! It is good to see in this case, the media in Pakistan is not fomenting hate or extreme views as in India, and showing far more maturity.
Look at all the Indians commenting...haha
"Little chance of lasting peace" indicates Pakistanis will not stop playing Kargil with India. Why use non-State actors, why not use your real Army and fight it out? Pakistan even could not handle East Pakistan. Pakistan should focus on providing security to Pakistanis in places like Karachi, Balochistan. You can't for ever keep killing Baloch people or Shias or Ahmadis.
Plain words are these too dear ET Editors -- it is Plain wrong for even the relatively "liberal-minded" in Pakistan to live under the illusion that India somehow will change its stance over J&K in the future merely because the former behaves nice or says the right words or its Army Chief says this or does not say that. Chasing mirages like J&K will one day become Pakistan (the slogan "Kashmir Banega Pakistan") will only engender disgust across your border and strengthen the basic fact, forget Friendship between the two countries... even having anything like "Peace" will too seem a Mirage... rest is up to you.
Dear Pakistanis, Kashmir is an integral part of India. The real disputed part is POK. A mechanism has to be found so that Pakistan can vacate POK and hand it back to us. There can be no peace until POK is reunited with India.
First, Pakistan must give up terrorism - don't write me off as propagandist - today the whole world knows you shelter and train terrorists - starting from Osama to Dawood....
"It is also true that the division of Kashmir has kept hundreds of families apart and prevented them from seeing each other for years or even decades. " There are thousands "of families kept apart" by the Partition of India "and prevented... from seeing each other for years or even decades". Every year more and more Muslims, in a fit of pan-Islamism and other reasons, marry across borders. What is the solution to that? To undo the Partition? The fact is that families are where they are purely and solely because they exercised that choice - to be away from their near and dear ones. This is yet another lame reason and will not fly.