Damaging peace

The intense tension that existed between India and Pakistan through February, after an attack which killed at least 40 Indian security personnel, and the aerial clashes between fighter planes from both countries which followed may have vanished from the world’s headlines. But war at a lower scale is still on. Since mid-February, there have been almost daily incidents of firing on the Line of Control. Indian forces have been especially belligerent in the volleys of gunfire unleashed across the border, with at least three civilians killed as a result of this action. There are also other signs of increased aggression by the Narendra Modi led BJP government, as parliamentary polls in India are set to start on April 11. The Modi government appears to have upped the volume of its angst in the run-up to this process, calling off talks on the opening of Kartarpur corridor, which would allow Sikh pilgrims to easily move across into Pakistan.

Still more catastrophic problems have been faced by the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir. In an unprecedented move, India has announced that civilian movement will be closed along the 300km long Baramulla-Jammu national highway which connects the disputed Kashmir region to the outside world. It is also the main connection between the northern and southern parts of the region to Srinagar. The move, which the Indian government says is to allow the movement of security forces on the highway during the parliamentary election, effectively means hundreds of schools and hospitals cannot be accessed on the two dedicated days, Sunday and Wednesday, and tens of thousands of children will not be able to reach school. Schools and colleges are dotted along the highway.

The decision made by New Delhi is very similar to the one taken by Israel to lock down the Gaza Strip. Many analysts have noted the similarity and indeed it should not go ignored. In the fierce crackdown in IOK that followed the Pulwama attack, hundreds of separatists and rebels have been held in the territory and two major organisations, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, banned. Most of their major leaders are behind bars. Thousands of additional troops have meanwhile entered Kashmir to ensure smooth polling in the elections that lie ahead. Whether a fair poll is possible in what amounts to a martial law-like situation in Kashmir is a question that the Indian government and media have chosen to ignore. However, the concern continues to be voiced by Kashmiri leaders including Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the disputed territory. It seems likely that Islamabad will need to wait till the swearing in of the next government across the border to establish what is to come next. We can only hope that a less belligerent approach will be adopted. This would be the only sensible thing to do for any setup in charge of India. Pakistan has already sent out many messages of peace. If these go unheeded, the region could fall into a more and more perilous situation.