The recent flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan have ignited various opinions across the globe. Having been born and spent a large majority of my life in India, I was taught that Jammu and Kashmir is one of the 25+ states of India. Only upon reaching my adulthood did I begin to learn different views on Kashmir and the history of the region. I was helped in this discovery by friends, relatives and Bollywood movies such as Haider by Vijay Bharadwaj released in 2014. Later, more movies and independent studies of my own provided richer context on the history of the region and the claim on the land from both countries, India and Pakistan. From the stories that I have read and seen, admittedly from the perspective of other Indians, the region of Jammu and Kashmir was acceded to India by the then king of the land, Raja Hari Singh in a letter to the Prime Minister of India in the aftermath of the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. He did this while requesting help from India to repel the Pakistani forces that were rampaging through Kashmir. India accepted the request, repelled the Pakistani military forces and the rest, as they say, is history.
Since then, 3 wars have been fought over the region between the two neighbors over that land. Tellingly for us Indians, the map of India that we used in school and still see on display in India shows the entire region of Kashmir, including what is called “Pakistan occupied Kashmir” within India. There is also a part of Ladakh that is now claimed by China which is shown as being a part of India. The region of Kashmir that is now “occupied” by Pakistan was accepted/ (given up?) by India following a war in 1971, thus establishing a new “Line of Control” (LoC). This LoC has held, more or less, over the past 50+ years.
The recent flare up between the two nations has left people like me deeply disturbed by the videos and scenes being shared on social media and on the TV. While previous wars have been either before my time or in the mountains of the Himalayas and between the armed forces, this recent skirmish hit much closer to home as citizens of cities such as Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Jaisalmer and many more were impacted. Blackouts in the streets and the visible fights in the skies above these cities made for chilling scenes. Friends and relatives found their resolve being shaken as the reality of war hit close to home. A hospital in the city of Jammu was impacted, a senior official lost his life while residing at home due to a missile/ drone attack. Scenes on TV showed shrapnel and pieces of missiles and drones at various fields across the north-west of India.
Being outside India at this time, the perception of the media across the globe has been an eye-opener for me. The Indian media coverage is heavily skewed in favor of their country (like it is in every country across the world). There is a distinct lack of perspective that would be provided by a view from the other side of the battle. It is a view that those of us outside the country are privy to. A couple of things stand out for me after following the news in major channels such as CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, etc.:
- The media in the rest of the world still refers to Jammu and Kashmir, a state of India, as “Indian administered Kashmir” and the similarly, the PoK as “Pakistan administered Kashmir”. For someone like me with close ties to Jammu, calling the city that is absurd. It is akin to calling Alaska as “US administered Alaska” or any other state in India as an “Indian administered state”.
- I see videos of drones and planes in the skies above the city of Jammu. It appears obvious to me that these are attacks being carried out by Pakistan. However, these claims are soon countered by Pakistani spokespersons who disown any knowledge or ties with the reality in the skies. Instead, they state that there are drone attacks being carried out by India on their territory. Therefore, the media calls it “tit-for-tat” claims by both countries. To my biased eyes, it appears that there is visible proof from one side while the other makes unsubstantiated claims. This is a fight on perspective that India needs to fight as well, to be transparent to the world while accepting that their adversaries are not.
Pakistan is an economically troubled state – rated grade D for GDP and E for population data. It relies on loans from other countries and the International Monetary Fund to bail itself out of its debts. Pakistan consistently received billions of dollars in aid from the United States for many years, likely due to its geographical significance. The US needed an ally/ presence in the South Asian region to counter threats from terror groups operating in Afghanistan and any perceived threats from the two big countries that it does not have a great rapport with. That inflow of aid stopped a few years ago. China has stepped in to further its own interests. This is evident in the use of Chinese aircraft’s and weaponry being used in the recent series of attacks on India. Add to that the infrastructure work being carried out by China in Pakistan and the Chinese influence on the geopolitics of the region is evident.
India sees itself as a growing super power. India and its people are increasingly playing a major role in the world and in International federations/ bodies, etc. Indian-born individuals lead some of the most well known Software organizations, are some of the best Doctors across the globe and in almost every field, are playing a major role – be it on the economic (for example, Ajay Banga is the President of the World Bank), art or political front. India and Indians have achieved this growth in the last 75+ years, the same period that has been available for Pakistan, which has found itself fractured in a tussle between its armed forces and political parties. India is a growing economy and in that sense, has more to lose when compared to Pakistan in a war. India has been a safe place for international enterprises to set up R&D centers, expand their operations and partner with due to the available talent pool. Therefore, India has more to lose in a war with Pakistan than the latter. The credibility built over the past 70+ years would be at risk if India were to suffer any damages to its property or people as a result of an escalation in tensions with its neighbor.
Terrorism as we know it – innocents being killed by bigots has affected many countries across the world, including Pakistan. India has always stood form on its stance that the terrorism in its northernmost region, Kashmir, is sponsored by its neighbor. Pakistan, on the other hand seeks to gather international support and bring Kashmir to the international table once again. It is in India’s best interest to maintain peace within its borders and treat Kashmir as an integral part of India, which it is. No questions asked and no explanations to be provided. It is a delicate balancing act to perform for India –
- maintain its strong growth trajectory
- maintain peace and harmony within its borders
- keep its neighbor in check while working on bringing the entirety of Kashmir back into its territory
The exchange of gunfire and aerial battles from the past week will impact the populace of Kashmir very hard. The Kashmir valley in India has been a hotbed of tourist activity during the months of March through July and August every year in the past decade or so. The influx of tourists in that region has been substantial, especially from the hot southern part of India who love to visit the mountains and experience the thrill of a snowcapped mountain. This number will fall off drastically this year with many planned tourist visits to Kashmir cancelled in the current environment. It will take time for normalcy of some sort to be restored.
History has taught us that when there are fights, battles, wars, it is the common man who suffers the most. This is no different in J&K, Punjab and parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. People in the residences there have been traumatized by the evening/ night time sirens, drone attacks and aerial fights. How do they know it will never happen again?
Mithun's Musings 