Compromise needed in Indo- Pak standoff
Relations between India and Pakistan have been dipping to ever new lows. On September 18, an attack on the army base of India- controlled Kashmir left 17 Indian soldiers dead, and India blamed Pakistan for the attack and launched retaliatory attacks. In October, Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged fire across the de facto Kashmir border and expelled each other’s diplomats amid tensions.
The clashes began to escalate in November, resulting in the deaths of dozens of soldiers and civilians from both sides. India-Pakistan ties, which saw signs of easing after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan in late December last year, started to boil with tension again.
This not only hurts the two countries, but also affects neighboring countries. Some forces in India launched an unprecedented boycott of Chinese products, using the excuse of China’s support for Pakistan.
In the past two decades, whenever the Indian and Pakistani leaderships exchanged visits and the bilateral ties were about to develop, destructive events would occur and bring the two back to confrontation. Obviously, some forces do not want to see an improved relationship between India and Pakistan.
If the leaders of the two countries have the goodwill to improve ties, they should put the fanatical nationalism within their countries under control and handle destructive events with a cool head. Regrettably, tragedies occurred time and again.
Simply imposing pressure on Pakistan does not help. India has applied many times to include Masood Azhar, Jaish- e Mohammed’s founder and leader, into the sanction list of the UN Security Council. In every international occasion such as the G20 summit and the BRICS summit, Modi speaks about anti- terrorism and Pakistan. He labels Pakistan as a supporter of terrorism and tarnishes Pakistan’s international image.
The Pakistani government has weak control over the country. Not only can’t it control its intelligence organizations, military and local governments, the government has no capability to manage its tribes, religious groups and terrorist forces. It is unfair to attribute the attacks on India to the Pakistani government, because the government would like to solve the discrepancies with India through dialogue. Pressing the Pakistani government only puts pressure on the moderate forces within Pakistan and fosters hawkish sentiment toward India.
Isolating Pakistan will have limited effects. Modi refused to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC) meeting scheduled in Islamabad in November and called for the other SAARC leaders not to attend.
Meanwhile, India invited the heads of state of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation ( BIMSTEC) to participate in the Goa BRICS summit in October. The group includes all SAARC members except Pakistan and Afghanistan.
India tried to enhance cooperation with BIMSTEC and weaken SAARC in a bid to isolate Pakistan. However, the efficiency of the two regional groups has been quite low over the years. Isolating Pakistan will only make the country lose face, but have little real impact.
Creating new problems cannot solve the old ones. Pakistan has been accusing India of backing the separatist movement in its Balochistan Province, which India has denied. This year, Modi mentioned Balochistan in his Independence Day address, which actually proved Pakistan’s accusation. It indicated that the Indian government would turn the province into the second battlefield to counter Pakistan’s support for anti- India forces in India- controlled Kashmir. If Balochistan really separates from Pakistan, the Pakistani government will lose its control over the country and the country will be torn apart.
A chaotic Pakistan will become a hotbed for extremism, which India will find more difficult to tackle. It may even incite separatism within India, especially in states and northeastern regions where Muslims make up the majority.
The conflict between India and Pakistan has hindered the development of each country. The Pakistani government, military and other groups should realize that armed struggles and terror attacks will not change the chaotic situation of Kashmir, and will leave people in desperation.
India, despite its absolute advantages in overall national strength, has paid heavy costs for the long- term confrontation with Pakistan as well. India is viewed as a South Asian country parallel to Pakistan, which drags it away from its grand ambitions to be a world power.
After decades of confrontation, it is time that the two sides make some compromises.