Like always, both sides are shifting the blame on each other for the “unprovoked violation of ceasefire”
This is followed by expressions of intense, outrageous emotions in both countries, all escalated to the point that many seem excited for a full-fledged war between the two countries
https://twitter
com/AdgerAlam/status/519798436581744640 https://twitter
com/zoyaejaaz_PTI/status/519947140609474561 https://twitter
com/BBhuttoZardari/status/519520222802227201 https://twitter
com/AbhaySDube/status/519878140479688704 https://twitter
com/ashesh_dxb/status/519877211151532032 https://twitter
com/pradnyaMayekar/status/519828962420080642 However, such an event is not happening for the first time
Someone ignites the fire, we kill a few of theirs and they kill a few of ours, ceasefire is imposed and then the cycle repeats
That’s how it is
This was seen last year in January, when the rising tensions on the LoC led to border skirmishes that continued till August 2013
At the time, it seemed like war was imminent
However, it ended with another ceasefire, with heavy military and civilian causalities on both sides
Though the warmongers were disappointed, the families of those killed in this crossfire had their worlds turned upside down
And so, the cycle continued
What’s most disappointing in all this is the lack of maturity shown by our public – the emotional reaction by the masses in both countries and how they get excited about these escalations
The way they are obsessed with the “they killed one of us, so we should kill 10 of them” ideology or the “let’s go on a full-fledged war and teach them a lifelong lesson” doctrine is truly disturbing
Don’t they understand that war is never the solution? People of India and Pakistan need to look at the bigger picture; wars benefit no one and they are not something to look forward too
There is no disagreement that the side igniting such sparks needs to be given an appropriate response but this doesn’t need to be hyped up and escalated every time by predictions of war
As a result, both sides end up suffering heavy losses before the military heads call for a flag meeting
People living along the LoC or the poor soldiers at the front posts suffer the most
I am not talking about one country in particular – in such skirmishes, both sides end up losing people, and that is never right, especially when after all the killing, the two states end up having a ceasefire
My point is, why not initiate a ceasefire earlier so that innocent lives can be saved
What’s required from military brasses, commanding officers in particular, on both sides, is to take a swifter action before things go out of control and jingoistic elements spark a wave of hatred and anger among the people of both countries
The masses need to realise that they have other, bigger problems to get rid of in their respective countries
Going to war will only add more baggage
They need to come out of this obsession they have about Indo-Pak rivalry
Only then can the two countries move forward
Only then can they progress and prosper
Although it’s not possible to simply ignore matters like Kashmir, the water disputes, or the “ceasefire violations” but instead of getting excited and hoping for the situations to escalate, as warmongers on both sides hope for, we need stop letting these issues overwhelm us
With such an attitude, both countries can spare a good part of their defence expenditures to help solve all the other, more pressing problems that these countries face
We all need to keep in mind that in an “India versus Pakistan” situation, there can be no “winner”
| Date: | 09-Oct-2014 | Reference: | View Original Link |
|---|