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ON THE BRINK
(Editorial)
The Kashmir Times, Dec 26, 2001
Tragically both India and Pakistan are again being pushed into a
bloody conflict which is bound to
prove disastrous for the people of the two neighbouring countries. The
consequence of any such
war, full-fledged or limited, can very well be imagined. It seems that
the ruling elites of the two
countries have not learnt any lesson from the past. The bon-homie of
last year, which culminated
into Agra Summit, has been replaced by bellicosity and sabre-rattling.
The developments of the
last two weeks are frightening enough for the leaders and people of
the sub-continent to ponder,
introspect and take steps to reverse the process. The need is for
reconciliation rather than
confrontation of any kind. Both New Delhi and Islamabad should know
that war is no answer to any
problem. The leaders of India and Pakistan cannot be so naive as not
to understand the
consequences of any war. Once any confrontation starts there can be no
end to it. With every
move on either side the escalation gets compounded. The nuclearisation
of the two countries, in
their mad race for militarisation, leaves no one in doubt that any
escalation of conflict has all the
potentialities of a nuclear war. The consequences can very well be
imagined. It is also known to
the rulers of the two countries, who are allowing themselves to be
pushed to the brink by their
respective hawks ignoring much larger peace constituencies in their
respective states, that neither
of them can be in a win-win position in any future war. The wars in
the past left both sides as
losers even if these might have satisfied their misplaced egos.
There are ominous signs of the sub-continent heading towards a
long-drawn conflict which will only
bring further miseries to its people who need peace and development.
India's concern over the
growing menace of terrorism is not misplaced. The shock and anger over
the attack on the
Parliament too was natural. New Delhi was equally justified in asking
Islamabad to move strongly
against the terrorist groups, which it believed to have been let loose
by Pakistani establishment,
particularly its notorious ISI. The terrorist attack was indeed most
condemnable but it certainly
was not an act of war by Pakistan against India. The clear objective
of the terrorists was to provoke
India to react in a manner that could escalate the conflict with
Pakistan responding by similar
brinkmanship. While Islamabad failed to act in putting an end to
terrorist activities New Delhi acted
in panic and haste by recalling its envoy and more unreasonably
terminating the bus and train
services between the two countries. The massive troops buildup all
along the borders by Pakistan
with India following suit has created a dangerous situation, which if
not checked can lead to
head-long confrontation. The tongue-lashing has been replaced by
sabre-rattling with heavy
exchange of fire all along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
The climate of fear that the
shelling on the borders has created provides an opportunity to the
hawkish elements in both the
countries to push their leaders into a serious conflict. The war
machinery in both the countries is
being oiled to plung the region into another bloody war. Thousands of
people from the border areas
are fleeing fearing for life, leaving their hearth and home, standing
crops and livestock behind. Once
this process escalates there will be no end to it.
It's time to ponder and listen to the voice of reason for the rulers
of both the countries. They are
expected to be disctated by the good of their people, their security,
peace and progress rather
than getting swayed by their emotions and their narrow political
interests overpowering the intrests
of their people. The climate of confrontation must be replaced by a
climate of conciliation. Mutual
goodwill, accommodation and understanding are needed rather than doing
anything that creates
further problems. Islamabad must understand the genuine feelings in
this country and its concern
for the growing menace of terrorism. President Musharraf must put his
foot down and take steps to
put an end to the terrorist activities in his country. Prime Minister
Vajpayee too should understand
the predicament of the Pakistan President who is facing a serious
threat from the fundamentalists
in his own country, particularly after he acted wisely in joining the
fight against Taliban. He has
also moved to some extent to deal with the jehadis in Pakistan, though
that is not enough. India
needs to respond positively to Musharraf's moves in mending fences
with New Delhi. A battle is on
in Pakistan between the moderates and the extremists with Musharraf
taking some steps to clip
the wings of ISI and clamping down on fundamentalists, risking their
wrath. Any wrong move on
New Delhi's part will only strengthen the hands of extremists in the
neighbouring country. While
pressure on Musharraf to take appropriate action to check cross-border
terrorism may continue the
doors for a dialogue should not be closed. For dialogue is the only
way not only to resolve the
outstanding disputes between the two countries but also to persuade
Musharraf to rein in the
terrorists operating from his country. Both the countries must realise
that war is no solution to any
problem. They should make sincere efforts to give peace a chance. That
calls for mending the
fences and not escalating the conflict. They should not be pushed into
brink by the hwaks in their
respective countries, who need to be isolated.
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