- The Indo-Pak rivalry has lasted longer than the Franco-German
By Abdullah Shahid
In times of war, generals often yearn for a strategic position on the battlefield to turn the tide of war in their favour. Be it a river, a mountain range or a hilltop, a strategic position provides a comparative advantage by greatly boosting its defensive and offensive capabilities.
On numerous instances these advantages have allowed history’s greatest generals to make a name for themselves by defeating superior enemies.
But what shall one make of a situation where the land encompassing the strategic points is so large that if given an opportunity, it could serve as an independent nation?
For it was a question asked recently when the Pulwama incident in February had almost led two nuclear powers to the brink of a state of war; a move that elicited no surprise from anyone, given the number of times Pakistan and India have brought out their war drums against each other.
Kashmir has its similarities with Alsace-Lorraine but it’s unlikely that the final solution too would mirror one another
Sandwiched between three regional powers, the land that hosts the gateway to central Asia has been subject to an ongoing land dispute which goes back for decades. For whoever controls Kashmir, controls the tributaries of the Indus River that are alongside the Himalayas. Sadly, Kashmir is divided alongside two lines: the Line of Control (Pak-India) and Line of Actual Control (India-China), the former being one of the most heavily militarised zones to date.
Thousands of miles west of Kashmir in Europe lies another piece of land that once sang a similar song of violence and war. The conflict in question culminated to an end only after 3.7 million had been laid to rest.
Right at the centre of the river Rhine lies Alsace-Lorraine; a piece of land strategically important for almost the same reasons as those of Kashmir. Its close proximity to the Benelux nations (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg) and its borders with the Swiss Alps had enabled it to act as a natural buffer between France and Germany.
Historical significance added to Alsace-Lorraine’s value as this piece of land had separated the Roman-ruled Gaul (modern-day France) from the Germanic tribe who attained their independence despite the Roman thirst for new regions.
Thanks to the formation of NATO and the European Union, Franco-German relations have never been closer; however a century ago, their sole language of communication involved bullets.
The Palace of Versailles usually found its way inside a history book under the themes of French extravagance and arts, but the year 1870 would change that. The Prussian High Command chose it to shelter their King whilst Paris went through a siege.
Ignoring their capital Berlin, the Prussians chose the Palace of Versailles to formalise the unification of all German States under a single flag. The surrender terms were harsh for France: it had to pay a large amount of compensation, agree to the abolition of the 2nd French Empire, a German occupation of northern France till she repaid her war debts and lastly the humiliating German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine.
After the war of 1870, France and Germany would fight two more wars, ending with the permanent transfer of Alsace-Lorraine to France. Despite the 3.7 million casualties, Franco-German relations would oversee a period of co-operation and shared economic responsibility as the two nations would emerge as de-facto leaders of European affairs in order to counter the influence of Communist Warsaw Pact.
As soon as relations improved, the French would finally agree to Germany’s re-unification. A divided Germany was meant to safeguard the French borders in case Germany were to seek a path of vengeance after the 2nd World War.
The current situation in Kashmir too mirrors that of Alsace-Lorraine. Although only to an extent as Kashmir has been the victim to the very same European colonialism that France and Germany displayed in their “scramble for Africa”.
Moreover Kashmiris have been more vocal in their demand for independence than their Alsatian counterparts. A conflict which is more complicated owing to Kashmir’s larger territorial size and the inclusion of nuclear deterrence between its occupiers.
Unlike Alsace-Lorraine, there is no certainty that a Kashmiri solution would lead to regional peace as (unbeknownst to no one) the Indo-Pak enmity has been longer and deadlier than the Franco-German one.
Alsace-Lorraine was an issue that erupted between two opposing parties whilst the Kashmir issue resulted due to a hasty British withdrawal from India and their inability to ever learn proper map-drawing (refer to Sykes-Picot for another example of their “exemplary” map drawing skills). Kashmir has its similarities with Alsace-Lorraine but it’s unlikely that the final solution too would mirror one another.
The writer is a freelance columnist.