The latest India-Pakistan diplomatic hostility triggered by beheading of two soldiers in Poonch districts of Jammu province has come as a blow to the back channel diplomacy that started with a secret meeting of business tycoon Sajjan Jindal with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff in Muree Pakistan. Though beheading of soldiers is against the spirit of the border true agreement of 2003 but the warnings can’t bring India and Pakistan closer to an agreement on restraining themselves from brutality in the times of conflict on borders. Misadventure on borders is not the route to peace and political stability in both India and Pakistan. Kashmir has been at the core of difficulties in India Pakistan relation and interestingly border skirmishes on borders in Jammu & Kashmir only bring the two countries nearer to a full scale armed conflict. In fact the border skirmishes on borders is as bigger a challenge as is the wave of public protests occurring year after year in Jammu & Kashmir. The denials of the incumbent BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on engagement with separatist leadership and resumption of dialogue with Pakistan is neither ending the wave of public protests in Kashmir nor the intensity of skirmishes on border. Border skirmishes were a challenge to the erstwhile BJP led NDA when Attal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister but a complete departure from the Vajpayee style of engagement with Pakistan has increased the intensity of both the border skirmishes and as well as the continuing public protests in Jammu and Kashmir state. Having experienced dividends of the Vajpayee style of engagement with Pakistan, the incumbent BJP government headed by Narendra Modi should have walked an extra mile to resume dialogue with Pakistan for lessening the chances of armed conflicts of bigger dimensions on borders. Since Vajpayee style of engagement with Pakistan had brought perceptible change on ground in Kashmir, the Modi government persistently pursuing hostility both with the separatist leadership and Pakistan government can’t bring peace to borders and populated areas Kashmir by pro-active policing and counter military offensives respectively.
Last seventy years of strain in India Pakistan relation have proved it beyond doubt that ultimate sufferers of India Pakistan hostility are the people of Jammu & Kashmir both in the border and the plain areas of the state. Wisdom demands that Modi led BJP government at the centre tends to work on the initiative started by a secret meeting of business tycoon Sajjan Jindal with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff a Muree in Pakistan.
In the presence of military and counter military offensives on borders and pro-active active policing in the populated areas, the incumbent Modi government can’t bring respite to either the border populations or the people living in plain areas of Kashmir valley. Ultimately last seventy years of strain in India Pakistan relation have proved it beyond doubt that ultimate sufferers of India Pakistan hostility are the people of Jammu & Kashmir both in the border and the plain areas of the state. Wisdom demands that Modi led BJP government at the centre tends to work on the initiative started by a secret meeting of business tycoon Sajjan Jindal with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff a Muree in Pakistan.
