It has to stop, and it has to stop now
When nine innocent Pakistani villagers died in cross-border Indian firing last week, the COAS, the Defence Minister and the Senate Chairman reached the CMH Sialkot to meet the injured. They condemned Indian ceasefire violations. Similar sentiments were expressed by the Prime Minister as he visited Bagh, bordering the LoC, on Wednesday. He termed such incidents a threat to international peace and said Pakistan would continue to raise its voice against the violations and atrocities at all international forums. The reaction from the political and military leadership was appropriate and timely. The question is whether this is enough to stop the killings.
While at Sialkot the COAS repeated what he had said in February, March and June: Pakistan will give a ‘befitting response’ to any aggression. The grim statement failed to stop India from violating the ceasefire in the past. Will it succeed this time?
Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had promised to raise the issue at every international forum. It is here that Pakistan’s failure becomes most glaring. The Western media holds Pakistan equally, if not more, responsible for raising the tension on the borders. That even the OIC and its components continue to keep mum on the issue underlines the failure to explain Pakistan’s case at world forums. How can the country utilise the opportunity to the optimum when it does not have a full time foreign minister? Raza Rabbani was taking recourse to a cliché when he claimed that “India’s hypocrisy has been exposed to the world”. The attitude of the media or the governments, be they in the West or in the Islamic world, do not support the claim. Except for China the country stands isolated.
The only practical option to put an end to bloodletting is to open dialogue with India over border clashes to convince it of the need to stop the unnecessary bloodshed on both sides. The scheduled talks between the Rangers and BSF should be held to be followed by the proposed meeting between the DGMOs from both sides.
