After the Pahalgam attack on 22nd April in which 26 unarmed Hindu tourists were killed in cold blood, cries for revenge have been raised in India, trumpeted loudly by the jingoistic Indian godi media.
But revenge against whom ? The culprits who committed this heinous crime disappeared into the neighbouring jungles, and remain untraced to this day, and in all likelihood will never be found. Who were they, Indians or Pakistanis or from some other country, what was their motive, did they have a mastermind, who supplied them the weapons they used, etc, is all unknown.
But someone has to be the scapegoat. Which better scapegoat than India’s favourite whipping boy, Pakistan ? So the servile Indian media has been screaming from the rooftops soon after the incident, putting all the blame on Pakistan, and baying for the blood of that hapless country, though there is no evidence of its complicity in this dastardly incident, as I mentioned in a webinar in which I participated.
Among the steps the Indian government announced was suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. Now there is already great water shortage in Pakistan, as evident from the ongoing disputes about water between Sindh and Punjab. By further reducing water, should large parts of Pakistan be turned into a Karbala ? The vast majority of Pakistanis are already leading miserable lives with massive poverty, unemployment, price rise, malnutrition, lack of healthcare etc. Should their misery be increased ?
As regards the jingoistic demand for war on Pakistan by hawks in India ( who are often seen on TV screens ) 3 things must be mentioned :
(1) Wars are very expensive affairs, and both India and Pakistan are poor countries which can ill afford them. We have to buy our heavy weapons from foreign countries at huge cost, and in a war these will be spent in 10 days or so. What then ?
(2) Wars have unpredictable outcomes. One can easily start a war, but one can rarely be sure how it will end. Napoleon and Hitler both invaded Russia expecting quick victories, but we all know how the invasions ended.
(3) Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons
So it is silly to talk of war.
Read More: The Inanity and Superficiality of So-Called ‘Intellectuals’ in the Indian Subcontinent
One thing, however, is clear. Those who selectively killed Hindus obviously wanted Hindu-Muslim animosity to escalate exponentially. Who would benefit from that ? I have given my own conjecture in interviews I gave to Arifa Muzafar of Toronto, Canada, and Sajida Amin of Brisbane, Australia ( both originally from Lahore, Pakistan ).
What is the way out of the imbroglio ?
My own opinion is that the correct way is that shown by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan shortly after the Pulwama attack in 2019, in which several Indian soldiers were killed, and there was great anger in India against Pakistan, which was regarded as being behind the attack.
In his speech, Imran Khan said that he could understand the pain of Indians. Pakistan too had been a victim of terrorism, and he had himself visited hospitals where he saw people without hands, legs, or eyes, all victims of terrorist acts. He said that the Indian government should set up any kind of investigation it liked, and Pakistan would cooperate with it. Shortly thereafter in an interview by eminent Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, I praised this speech, calling it statesman like, mature, and balanced.
In my opinion, an investigation should be held with regard to the Pahalgam attack on the lines suggested by Imran Khan. The Pakistan government should send a message to the Indian government that it is willing to cooperate in any kind of investigation the Indian government wants. Such a step will immediately cool down the situation. In the long run, the solution to the problems of the Indian subcontinent lies in the reunification of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh under a secular government led by modern-minded leaders committed to a united people’s movement for a political and social order that ensures rapid industrialization, steadily rising living standards, and a life of dignity for all.