As if six decades of acrimony was not enough, the last fortnight has seen the eruption of the worst spell of hostility, both militaristic and verbose, since 2001. But there was two crucial differences this time. Firstly, moderate voices have - thankfully - grabbed the ascendant. And, two, the rhetoric was mostly confined to the studios of some New Delhi-based television studios. While the masses, apart from sympathising with the families of two Indain soldiers who were allegedly beheaded, moved on, the media of the rest of India - and indeed - entire Pakistan, paid little attention to the war of words.
Two Indian soldiers of the 13th Rajputana Rifles, Lance Naiks Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh, were allegedly killed and decapitated by suspected Pakistani soldiers in Poonch, 200 km from Jammu on January 8. The Army claimed that one of these soldiers was guillotined, a repeat act of July 2011 when two troopers of 20 Kumaon Regiment, Jaipal Singh Adhikari and Devender Singh, were beheaded.
But during the same year, both India and Pakistan augmented their efforts at improving their bilateral ties. So, despite the tragedy, the diplomatic lines were maintained and the matter put in a certain perspective. But the January 8 incident saw the abandonment of all moderation. Many observers pointed out that the larger national interest of preparing the ground for sustained trade and economic relations between India and Pakistan, was given up for scoring brownie points in TV debates.
During 2011 and 2012, there were regular visits exchanged at various levels by India and Pakistan. Apart from the significant breakthroughs on trade and visa regime, there were interactions between Indian and Pakistan delegations. Pakistan's Commerce and Trade Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim came to New Delhi in September, which saw the formal declaration of Pakistan's 'in principle' agreement to grant Most Favoured Nation status to India. This led to cohesive efforts by the two countries to raise the volumes of bilateral trade to $2.6 billion from $1.7 billion in 2009.
On the other hand, the anti-peace constituency was kept satisfied by the Janus-headed Pakistani establishment. There were persistent attempts by the Pakistan Army to somehow disrupt the ongoing peace process. One cannot forget the role of the Army in instigating the Kargil war in 1999. Since 2010, Pakistan has already violated the ceasefire more than 222 times. In 2012 alone, there were 117 instances, mostly concentrated in the Uri and Krishna Ghati areas.
This was followed by series of outrage and protests, including reactions from diplomats on both the side. Also quick to respond were analysts and experts presenting their own differentiated views. For instance in an article published in The Hindu on January 10, 2013, Praveen Swami linked the killing of the two Indian soldiers with 70-year-old Reshma Bi of Charonda, when she crossed the border to be with her sons in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on September 11, 2012. According to him it was her crossing of LoC which prompted Indian bunker construction which in turn sparked off violence, resulting in brutal killing of the two soldiers.
Thereafter, a response from General Bikram Singh, Chief of Army staff, came which said that India's military would "retaliate aggressively" in case of further provocation. The Pakistani foreign minister, Hina Rabbani, weighed in next. She described General Singh's comments as "hostile" and accused India of "war-mongering".
After that, the Indian Prime Minister made a stunning declaration. He denied any involvement of the Indian Army in precipitating the border standoff and categorically stated that "after this barbaric act (the beheading), there can't be business as usual with Pakistan".
This was welcomed by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj. She shocked the world community when, after a visit to the widow of Lance Naik Hemraj, she declared that in return for one Indian soldier's head, India should seek 10 Pakistani heads.
Meanwhile, nine Pakistani hockey players who were in India to play the Indian Hockey League, were asked to pack up and return citing "high tension" in the country. The players seemed to be in a good mood and shared memories of their short stay here.
Perhaps the sanest voice in the whole conundrum came from Pakistani hockey player Imran Butt. Before emplaning for home, he told reporters, "Politics should be kept away from sports.The two should not be mixed. We are satisfied and hopeful that we will return soon and play in India in the near future."
Another near casualty of the week was the Pakistani women's cricket team which is here to participate in the world cup championship. One of the venues of their matches, Mumbai, was shifted. A large number of personalities appeared on TV demanding an end to the CBMs in place to bring Indo-Pak relations to an even keel. Even as the war of words rocked the TV channels of the Indian capital, the LoC remained a boiling pot. Pakistan and India continued to blame each other of "violating" the ceasefire.
However, by Wednesday, the worst seemed to be over. It is a sign that the situation may slowly limp back to normality on the LoC in the days ahead, the Pakistan Army assured the Indian Army on Wednesday that Pakistani troops had been told to observe the LoC ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint. In a 10-minute talk on the hotline between the directors-general of military operations of the two countries, an understanding was also reached between the Indian and Pakistani armies that the situation should not be allowed to escalate.
Most analysts feel that the situation could now move towards de-escalation and that better sense appears to have prevailed among the Pakistanis. In an earlier hotline conversation last week, the Indian Army had also raised the issue of the planting of mines (either by Pakistani troops or Pakistan-based terrorists) on the Indian side of the LoC, which the Pakistanis denied. Army sources said the mines had Pakistani ordnance markings on them, conclusively proving they were planted by Pakistani intruders.
The Army also released photographic evidence of this on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir.
At the height of the tension, the debating societies of India and Pakistan had organised a debate on the topic "Engagement between members of civil society is by far the most important factor in promoting a lasting peace between India and Pakistan".
"For lasting peace, there is need to build consensus among the political parties of both the countries. Rising above the jingoism, the civil society should put pressure to advance the cause of peace," said Pakistan's noted media personality and political commentator Najam Sethi.
(The writer is a Research Assistant with Observer Research Foundation)
Courtesy: The Pioneer,
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