Characterised by a churlish belligerence, Pakistan-India relationship at present is tenuously hanging on the precipice from where things would not take too long to spiral out of control. Realistically, the two nuclear armed states realise that war would bring destruction to both sides, and so it is not on either’s interest to let the situation come to that. However, India’s muscle flexing by bringing its troops closer to the Line of Control, which is both a pressure tactic and a response to the vengeful narrative that has gained widespread public appeal following the attack in Uri by militants, is a dangerous game that has the potential to spell disaster. Meanwhile, the response from Pakistan has been military preparation to defend itself against any possible Indian aggression. And in a firm message by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif in which he conveyed to India that Pakistan army has “the capability to counter complete threat spectrum”, it seems that the threat of war is real if not probable.
A reflection of the degree of virulence present in India is the ultimatum given by the Maharashtra Navirman Sena, and also supported by Shiv Sena, to Pakistani actors working in India demanding them to leave India within 48 hours or “risk being beaten up.” While it is true these far-right wing groups represent a minority in India, but such an environment gives them the space to spew their hatred more loudly than before. Besides, it is not as if Pakistan does not have its own brand of right wing ideologues for whom Indians are just as much contemptible. However, it is pertinent to not let these warmongering voices drown out the voices of reason and tolerance, and while that would be difficult given the charged atmosphere, it is essential for peace in the region. This moment should also be used to reflect on the series of developments that have led to the tensions between Pakistan and India to escalate to this level. When Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore, it seemed that the two South Asian neighbours were about to start a new chapter in their bilateral ties. Unfortunately, the attack by militants on the Indian base in Pathankot reversed whatever diplomatic capital was made out of that visit. While Pakistan was accommodative to Indian concerns at that moment, and later on a Pakistani delegation visited India, which even included an official of Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, to investigate the attack, nevertheless, relations between the two countries continued to spiral down. This was in no small part due to the arrest of the alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan. As Pakistan worked on its case of Indian involvement in the separatist movement in Balochistan, the uprisings in the Indian-occupied Kashmir began, and hence Kashmir gained renewed importance in the debate between Pakistan-India relations. While India tried to pin the blame for the indigenous unrest on militants allegedly supported by Pakistan, Pakistan tried to use the opportunity to put diplomatic pressure on India to talk about Kashmir, something that it been uncompromisingly reluctant to do in the past.
For Pakistan, an India-centred approach, and vice versa, has made a bilateral paradigm that has been self-defeating for the most part. The level of immaturity in the two countries relationship can be gauged by Indian Prime Minister’s brazen mentioning of Balochistan in his Independence Day speech, through which he not only lent credence to Pakistan’s allegations of Indian involvement in the province, but also displayed the centrality of Pakistan in the official Indian narrative.
Meanwhile, there are some quarters that are speculating the advantage that the recent crisis has given Prime Minister Sharif in avoiding the Panama Papers controversy.
In whatever way this current crisis is taken, it becomes clear that Pakistan and India would have to bring a qualitative shift in the level of discourse between them in order to steer things towards the better. While it does not befit India as a country vying to be a regional power to take on this hostile posture towards Pakistan, perhaps Pakistan should come off as a responsible country and do its best to ensure that peace prevails. Categorical repudiation of terrorism without any compartmentalisation would be the great first step in that direction. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/25-Sep-16/pakistan-india-the-surreal-unravelling-of-relations
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