In what could potentially derail the recent rapprochement between India and Pakistan, three militants on Monday stormed a police station in Punjab’s border district of Gurdaspur killing at least seven people, including a senior police officer. Union home minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attack that comes a fortnight after Indian and Pakistani prime ministers met in the Russian city of Ufa and agreed to explore ways to pursue peace talks stalled for more than two years between the two countries.The militants are suspected to be part of a group that slipped across the border in Jammu & Kashmir recently. The three later made their way into Gurdaspur, which lies on the international border across Narowal district in Pakistan’s Punjab state.The militants, dressed in military fatigues, first attacked a bus, firing at the passengers. They then commandeered a car, killing the driver, and drove to the police station. The two sentries on duty were killed by the militants and when the police returned fire, the militants took shelter in the station. In the operation to evict them, one superintendent of police was killed, PTI said. Separately, five bombs were found on a railway track in Punjab, suggesting a possibly coordinated attack.The Pakistani foreign ministry in a statement condemned in the “strongest terms the terrorist incident in Gurdaspur”. The statement emailed by the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi said, “Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”Pakistan and India have longstanding disputes. Despite fighting three wars, the outstanding issues remain unresolved. If anything, they have become more complicated. With both sides possessing nuclear weapons and the required delivery systems, any war could lead to a regional disaster. It would not only cause untold human losses but also wipe out much of the progress the two countries have made through hard work and sacrifice. The only way to a better future is through mutual understanding and cooperation. This alone can end manipulation of each other’s vulnerabilities. The IT revolution has benefitted the world a lot. It has however helped terrorists to spread their message, recruit volunteers, provide training and assign tasks to them, with everything being online. Crossing the border for the purpose is becoming obsolescent. It is unrealistic on the part of any country to presume that it can rein in the terrorists single-handedly. What is required is cooperation between the countries, particularly among the neighbours. For this serious attempts have to be made to resolve the disputes that divide them. Every incident of terrorism, be it in Gurdaspur, Quetta or Karachi, has to be condemned without reservation. Similarly, the killing of innocent civilians on account of border shelling also needs to be denounced. Unless a meaningful move is made to resolve the conflict between the two countries.
pk.shafaqna.com
