Border skirmishes

Firing on LoC and peace process

Since January 6 till now, 15 incidents of exchange of firing or unilateral firing on the Line of Control in Kashmir have occurred, resulting in casualties on both sides. Not surprisingly both sides have stuck to their predictable reaction of denial or blaming the other party for having initiated the skirmishes. These border encounters probably represent the worst bout of killings on the LoC during the last ten years. Reportedly these incidents have claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers including a captain and six civilians. India has lost eight soldiers and one civilian.

The incident of January 8, 2013, in which allegedly two Indian soldiers were killed and one of them was beheaded, sparked an outrageous reaction by India. Prime Minister of India Mnmohan Singh said that “the incident has seriously damaged the ongoing peace process and after this dastardly act, there can’t be business as usual with Pakistan”. Indian Chief of Army Staff termed the incident as a pre-planned move by Pakistan and said that India reserved the right to retaliate at a time of its own choosing. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj went a step forward and forcefully advocated befitting retaliation for the killing of the Indian soldiers saying “If Pakistan does not return the severed head of the martyred soldiers, India should get at least 10 heads from the other side”. The episode also led to protest demonstrations outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Pakistan out rightly denied the incident. The ISPR dubbed the presentation of the episode as a propaganda ploy by India to divert the attention of the international community from an earlier unprovoked firing by India on 6th of January which killed one Pakistani soldier. It also urged investigation of the incident by the UN to ferret out the truth. The then Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar told the media “I am unpleasantly surprised by the Indian accusations. The government of Pakistan and its people have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to normalise and improve relations with India and to really start a journey of trust building.” The military command in Pakistan, responding to the bellicose posturing of the Indian COAS, said it was ready to deal with any situation. Nevertheless, after talks between military commanders of the two countries, an understanding was reached to de-escalate the situation and the following four months passed without any worrisome happenings.

But regrettably on 27 July, 2013, the border skirmishes reignited when one Pakistani soldier was killed by Indian firing. This was followed by kidnapping and killing of four Kashmiri civilians by the Indian forces who were picking herbs and strayed into the Indian side of the LoC. During August 2013, there have been nine skirmishes along the LoC resulting in casualties on both sides including a captain of the Pakistan army. These adventures along the LoC have again heightened tension between the two countries.

Indian media and leadership are incessantly trying to blame it all on Pakistan and hinting at the possibility of rupture in the dialogue process between the two countries. There are also talks about teaching Pakistan a lesson. The frenzy built by Indian media has also been instrumental to an attack on Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid also view these developments as a threat to the peace efforts and believe that under the circumstances, no meaningful and substantive progress can be made in regards to nudging the process of dialogue.

In Pakistan also there is considerable resentment over the bellicose attitude of India and there is no dearth of voices calling for adoption of tough stance on the issue. However, at the government and political level the response to the Indian tirade and belligerence has been quite restrained. Punjab Assembly passed a unanimous resolution expressing concern over the violation of LoC by India and called upon the federal government to raise the issue at the international level. The National Assembly through a unanimous resolution condemned the incidents and urged the government to take up the issue with the Indian government forcefully but in a prudent manner.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif remains a staunch advocate of normalisation of relations with India. During his election campaign improvement of relations with India without compromising on Kashmir formed the pivot of his foreign policy. He has stayed unprovoked by the latest Indian indiscretions, rightly so, expressing his commitment to the policy of restraint. In his maiden address to the nation he forcefully reiterated the need for rapprochement with India. He has also been urging the Indian leaders not to allow the process of normalisation to be derailed by the skirmishes on the LoC. While he is trying to reach out to India on political and diplomatic level, he has also underscored the need for enhanced interaction between the military commanders of the two sides to defuse the situation and find a mechanism to prevent their recurrence in the future.

The government is right in putting his faith in the dialogue process. With no possibility of a military solution or having it resolved through UN or with the help of world powers who control the chess game on the global level, at present, Pakistan perforce has to find a solution through the bilateral forum. End of confrontation between the two countries, as contended by the prime minister, is utmost necessary for the economic development of both the countries and opening up the vistas of shared economic prosperity in the region. India needs to respond to his reconciliatory gestures. Normalisation of relations and resolution of Kashmir dispute is only possible when leaders on both sides exhibit the sincerity and courage to tame the detractors of peace.

The writer is an academic.