Pakistan and India are back to their favourite pastime; trading accusations and promising swift vengeance upon one another. The tentative hope of a normalised relationship that was created after the meeting of both countries leaders in Ufa has completely dissipated. The final nail in the coffin may have been the Gurdaspur attack, but the escalation of tensions had begun long before that.Pakistan’s Foreign Office has reacted strongly to the statement delivered by Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in the Lok Sabha that the militants who killed 10 people in Gurdaspur in an attack a few days ago had come across the Ravi from Pakistan. Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah has condemned the remarks as being provocative and also noted that India has tended to pin blame for every terrorist incident on Pakistan, even without proof. India has said GPS data shows the terrorists’ point of entry.Pakistan had been accused, condemned and convicted, before the first investigative officer set foot inside the building the attackers were holed up in. This betrays an established mindset – a default assumption – each violent attack in India is perpetrated by Pakistan, until proven otherwise, and even then the blame isn’t wholly washed away. This is followed by a default reaction; sabre rattling and jingoistic war cries that have become the staple of the ruling BJP. It is this assumption and reaction that the Foreign Office correctly termed ‘unfortunate’. Unless the BJP can tone down the jingoism – which had picked up soon after the Ufa meeting – peace is not possible. For their part, Pakistani authorities don’t show prudence either. Every jab from Delhi is met with two from Islamabad. Senior Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security Sartaj Aziz said on Friday that the government is considering highlighting the issue of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) involvement in Pakistan with the United Nations and other international forums. While the action is certainly merited, it seems to be a reply to Indian accusations rather than a separate notion – and the sparring begins again. It is not insignificant that the Gurdaspur incident took place only weeks after the prime ministers of both countries had met in Russia and agreed that there should be a move towards the normalisation of ties. The only way to sort out issues is through negotiation and discussion. Pakistan and India need to work together to eradicate militancy. There are really no other options. Hasty statements which are hostile in nature do not help matters and simply play into the hands of those seeking to prevent peace between the two nations which need to work together in order to ensure regional stability and also create the kind of cooperation necessary to build a better life for people on either side of the border.
pk.shafaqna.com
