Dangerous game

The sparring match that has been continuing between Pakistan and India, notably along the LoC, could turn into a very dangerous one as tensions soar. According to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, during the months of July and August alone there were 70 violations of the LoC by India and there has been no indication over the past few days that these are coming to an end any time soon. Pakistan Rangers reported the death of nine people, all civilians, along the Sialkot sector of the Working Boundary on August 27, and at least six others were killed in firing incidents in the days immediately before and after this. Both Rangers and the Indian Border Security Force accuse each other of initiating firing across the border and the Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad has been summoned to the FO three times over the past week alone to hear the complaints voiced by Islamabad.
This past Sunday Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, as he visited the injured at Sialkot hospitals, called for nations around the world, especially Muslim ones, to raise a louder voice against what was happening. On a separate visit, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said that Indian aggression would not be tolerated. Pakistan’s mounting concerns over the situation with India were conveyed also by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the visiting US National Security Advisor Dr Susan Rice, who was also provided evidence of what Pakistan terms Indian intelligence intervention in its territory. Dr Rice is reported to have conveyed that Washington is indeed worried by the escalating aggression between Pakistan and India and would have liked to see the NSAs of both countries meet in August as was scheduled. The worsening situation between India and Pakistan has obviously pleased hawks on both sides of the border. The Indian media has also played a role in building up the tensions and blaming Pakistan for all that is going wrong. But voices of anguish have been raised from within Kashmir, where analysts point out that the hostility between the two nations will adversely affect them and make it more difficult to move towards the settlement that the disputed territory requires. The Kashmir angle has played a part in Indian attitudes and its hard-line stance on Pakistan. The question now is how to resolve all this so that some kind of normalcy can be restored.