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Lethal borders

Kashmir Times. Dated: 10/10/2014 12:49:53 PM

Dear Editor,
This is in reference to the editorial ‘ Lethal borders’ (Kashmir Times, October 8, 2014). As much as I agree with the opinion that it is the civilians on both sides of the border that inevitably take the brunt of entire ongoing saga, no solution has been offered to the problem. Flag meetings, summits, delegations sound very good to the ear, but they have been going on for as long as I can remember, and there seems to be little to no result to show for them (apart from the expenses they incur on their respective governments). There is scope of much trade between the two countries, but we are still hindered by the 'enemies that side of the border' mentality, and any deal with the enemy is an anathema to the majorities of both nations.
India, on the whole, has been the more stable and more responsible of the two countries, trying to solve the issue through peaceful dialogues and trying to enter into a discussion. In the past, India has always raised a flag meet whenever there is a ceasefire violation, but you have to ask, how long does one wait before deciding it is enough? Pakistan, despite its attempt to come across as a victim, has been trying to destabilize the situation in the Valley for a long time, training militants and offering them aid. A discussion is always between two or more people, but Pakistan just is not interested in trying to resolve the issue. Take Bilawal Zardari, for instance. He tweets that India is trying to play Israel, and Pakistan can 'retaliate' unlike Narendra Modi's Gujarat victims. This was after his comment 'the whole of Kashmir belongs to Pakistan'. He's spewing anti-India venom just to grab public attention, hoping to be running for an office in near future. That seems to be the trend these days. The Pakistani politicians, instead of promising more jobs, better infrastructure and better economy, instead promise to 'let the neighbours know their place'. Not a thought is spared for the people of Kashmir, to whom the region actually belongs to. This latest incident isn't going to make their lot better either.
Though I fully admit that military response is not the solution of the problem, there comes a time when you stand up and do what needs to be done. It might not be the perfect solution, but it simply has to be done. The Indian Army is doing precisely that, and not a moment too soon. To quote Naseeruddin Shah from "A Wednesday", we are resilient by force, not by choice. Pakistan should stop trying to test Indian resolve. The result would not be good, for anyone involved.
—Ritesh Kukrety,
Theosophical Society of India
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