NEW DELHI – India continues to blatantly indulge in unrelenting ceasefireviolations, all along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary.In its recent frenzy it seems to be possessed of a demon crossing all thelimits of sane human behavior. Scores of civilians have been unnecessarilykilled including women and children and many more wounded with colossaldamage to civilian property. In 2003, the ceasefire agreement between thetwo countries was hailed as a ‘Key Confidence Building Measure’ in thequest for a durable peace.
But since the arrival of Modi, a proven religious fanatic, Pakistan-Indiarelations have taken an obvious nosedive. Ceasefire violations have seen anunprecedented spike both in numbers and intensity.
Pakistani civilian population has been the main victim of Indianindiscriminate heavy weapons and artillery fire. India has not onlydisregarded an agreement between neighbours, it has unashamedly violatedthe international norms and ethics to spare the civilian population theconsequences of military confrontation.
India pretends that it is only producing a ‘befitting response’ toPakistan’s ‘nefarious designs’, a preposterous contention it has never beenable to substantiate. The Indian home minister, another diehard fanatic,justifies the ceasefire violations; to stop the so-called infiltration ofthe terrorists into the Indian occupied Kashmir. India has effectivelyfenced this part of the border.
The fence apart from being electrified is also heavily manned with searchlight towers to facilitate observation at night. If the terrorists canstill cross the fence with impunity, India has to seriously reevaluate theefficacy of its security apparatus.
The hue and cry about terrorists’ crossing over from Pakistan has alsoproved to be a complete hoax. Elias Davidsson’s latest book, “Betrayal ofIndia, Revisiting the 26/11 Evidence”, proves beyond a shadow of doubt thatMumbai terrorist attack of September 26, 2008 was planned and executed byno one other than the Indian intelligence itself.
All the venomous allegations directed at Pakistan at the time were readilybelieved by a gullible world. Davidsson seems to believe that it was theIndian intelligence acting on its own that had brought discredit to theIndian government.
But the same drama enacted again and again proves that the Indiangovernment is deliberately involved in sinning against its own people forinsignificant political gains. The Indian mania reached its pinnacle whenthe Bollywood style “Surgical Strike into Pakistan” fantasy was releasedout of nowhere.
One wonders how a highly professional soldier like the Indian Army DirectorGeneral Military Operations could be a party to this ridiculous claim ofcarrying out a surgical strike into Pakistan with nothing to show onground. It is a sad commentary on the professional ethics of a high-rankingmilitary officer.
According to Pakistan FO, India committed over 1300 Ceasefire Line (CFL)violations in 2017 alone as compared to 11 in 2003 and 6 in 2004. SinceModi took over 7000 CFL violations have been committed resulting in themartyrdom of over 300 civilians and injuries to another 1121. The graphshows this spike between 2003 and 2017 with the dangerous trendingpredominant after Modi takeover. India cannot eternally confuse the issueof an indigenous Kashmiri movement for independence with bogus terrorists’attacks from across the border.
One reason for the excessive Indian chauvinism is the prevailinggeopolitical situation, in which the unnatural US presence in the regionand its farfetched regional ambitions seem to place India in a fallaciousadvantage. India is being pampered to act as a regional answer to thegrowing Chinese power and eventually a close Western ally in the global tugof war.
This wishful thinking is of no practical consequences. The ‘PurchasingPower Parity’ alone does not determine national power criteria. There are ahost of factors that distinguish a developed from a developing nation.India is no match to the Chinese and will never be as indicated by the vastdifferences in power potential of the two countries.
Whether the West would ever realize the fallacy of their assessment, Chinabetrays no doubts about it. China keeps making subtle gestures to suggestthat India stands nowhere in it’s reckoning. The Western belief in India isin for a big disappointment.
The second reason for India’s delusion of grandeur is its well-equippedmilitary that has a definite quantitative edge over Pakistan and going bythe numbers alone should stand to gain in a near future conflict. On thequalitative plane India does not seem to appreciate the harsh currentrealities. Pakistan’s military is a battle hardened fighting machine, oneimbued with the indomitable spirit of fighting.
According to Brian Cloughley, “man-for-man it (Pakistan Army) will hammerany opponent, no matter if the skies are filled with (enemy) bombers”.According to a New York Times editorial assessment, despite India being abigger country, it stands to lose much more in any future war withPakistan. It is not to brag about Pakistani military’s superiority.
It is just to warn India not to be carried away by superficial content andtake a plunge into some expansive misadventure endangering the peace of theentire region. Nothing is worth taking that risk.Modi and his party can win elections on their ‘hate everything non-Hindu’philosophy.
But the incalculable damage being done to the Indian nationalism is boundto one day destroy the delicately hinged fabric of Indian unity. War has nologic. India continues to play with fire. The balance is precariouslypoised.
A war between two nuclear capable antagonists will spell disaster for theentire region and far beyond. It is high time the international communitywoke up to the impending disaster and stopped Indian madness.Askari Raza Malik — The writer, a retired Maj Gen, is freelance columnistbased in Rawalpindi.