Rise in Pakistan-India ceasefire violations must be toned down immediately
Tensions between Pakistan and India are rising, mostly driven by the military establishments on both sides. Ceasefire violations, although not ideal, do happen sometimes on a 1,000 kilometre plus Eastern border. What is unique now is that the PR machinery of both armed forces has kicked into fourth gear and are making out each ceasefire violations to be tantamount to a declaration of war. This is an unfortunate situation as only two weeks ago the two countries were trying to get both prime ministers to have a meeting with the Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif announcing that developing relations of trust would be his government’s priority. But now the tables appear to have turned after an incident on the Line of Control (LoC) in which two Indian soldiers were reportedly killed.
The Pakistani and Indian reaction to the violations is worth considering. Indian defence officials on Monday said that Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire for the fifth time in the last three days by targeting forward Indian posts along the LoC in Poonch district with mortar shells, rockets and small arms firing. They also reported that there have been 57 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops this year from January 1 to August 5, which is 80 percent more than the corresponding period last year. However, Indian war veterans insisted that talks were still the best way to peace with Pakistan. The statement came from the India chapter of India-Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI). Peace groups in Pakistan are also planning to demonstrate on August 14 to keep the peace process going. In contrast is the reaction of the government which has summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner over an LoC violation which led to “the loss of an innocent civilian life in Rawalakot”.
With the Pakistan’s foreign ministry also voicing concerns over what it called “continuous ceasefire violations by Indian border security force” across the LoC in recent days, the heat between the two countries is increasing with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar coming out to say, “MFN status for India is not under immediate consideration”. This suggests that the wave of goodwill for the PML-N-led government was based on unfounded promises and the good work of the last PPP government is set to be undone. More worrying is Pakistan’s sporting relationship with Bangladesh, whose football federation has asked Pakistan to reschedule a planned tour over strikes in Bangladesh. The visit of the United National’s Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon could offer a welcome respite, with the UN chief offering to play the role of an arbitrator between India and Pakistan. A military clash between the two neighbours at this point would be most inopportune at a time when talks should have already been underway.
