Recent days have witnessed a feverish sloganeering for real time war between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. A section of media has been goading very dangerous views for counter attack to teach `rogue’ Pakistan a lesson.They want to avenge the death of army officer and three soldiers in Rajouri sector on 4th Feb.Anti-tank missiles were used.Pakistan entered 400 meters inside the Indian side of LoC and starting firing on Indian positions.Pakistan on the other hand has not stopped propagating death of 10 school girls on their side of Poonch resulting from Indian army shelling on their side of LoC.The retaliatory firing from the India side has been fierce and unabated.It is a great concern that even top politicians like Shashi Tharoor have called for retaliation talking antithetical war language instead of encouraging the proceedings of the security advisers of the two of India and Pakistan now pro-active in Geneva.
LoC violations and the damage to civilians on both sides has been a feature ever since an International Agreement was signed in 2003 to honour the de-facto positions held along LoC.Last year alone 820 incidents of cease-fire violations were recorded.On the India side a total of 70 Indian army personals were injured as reported on the 10th Jan. 2018 and a total of Indian army personal killed was 138 in the year 2017.This is a mammoth loss of human life and considering the loss in terms of the training Jawans and officers on a regular basis the loss is compounded in linear dimensions.
The resources in terms of money are astronomical to secure this extensive border of 720 kilometres and because the exchange of fire does not confine to LOC the additional border of 198 kilometres of international border has also to be secured with Pakistan.
India and Pakistan fought 3 full blown wars and one open encounter in Kargil in which the sentiments of rivalry and animosity prevailed.It was intervention by saner elements of India and Pakistan and the world community that stopped the wars from complete mutual destruction.It was as a result of intervention and pacific measures that finally an Agreement was signed by India and Pakistan on Dec. 31,1988 that came in force on Jan. 27, 1991 that provides inter alia an obligation for the two countries to inform each other in writing of all nuclear installations on every 1st of January each calendar year.They also agreed to never attack each other using nuclear weapons.
LoC violations reflect a weakness than strength in the advance made in the political arena of conflict zone on Kashmir by either country.Kashmir is on the table of international forums every time the world envoys meet and exchange of diatribe swallows the arguments leaving people of Jammu & Kashmir high and dry facing atrocities every hour of their existence.They were born in turmoil and have lived through the strident voices raised for suffering in its aftermath.Cynics surfacing in social network sites make capricious noises about retribution, force and destruction as a way forwards.
Peace is an exquisite experience.There must be multiple tract parleys between India and Pakistan making runs in politics and Kashmir and positively prevent its’ populations blistering in the corrosive politics. The trends politicians on both sides make gestures that are vituperative in all its dimensions.In a manifest appraisal of this drama what transpires is an atmosphere of cold war rhetoric popping up and still pervading political relations between India and Pakistan. Timed with these increasing number of LoC violations, cross border mortar fire, there are according to the Prime Minister an increase in violations on the sea routes, shaking the delicate or throw out the balance of the security equilibrium between India and Pakistan.
In a critical analysis one cannot escape the damage of rhetoric of retribution used by some parties , diplomats, politicians,and some elements of the media are eminent and not a safe bet or politically correct , a pragmatic approach to take.It is very unfortunate that Kashmir is placed as a bog in the middle of a democracy.A king would have taken a decisive step without any need for obdurate political posturing.
It is gratifying that visa agreement has been signed between India and Pakistan and the vanguard pro-active representatives show finesse and initiative.It is true no deliberation will conclude with any dramatic relief for the situation in Kashmir and such statements are permitted to fly to warn against expectations of major changes in Kashmir.Both Pakistan and India must stop shelling each other because in legal terms any State in occupation or administration or a mandate territory (in dispute) cannot keep pounding shells on its populations or decide polity of that State. A massive army presence on either side with massive scale of arsenal waiting to be used has a potential trigger factor playing a risky role in its background. Cuban missile crisis was averted because the third Russian officer in the submarine did not agree to shoot at the American facility in Cuban waters.The world would be a different place now. Where are the sane voices of the world to settle Kashmir once for all and bring peace to the region?
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