The Siren is Wailing

It is clear that India will retaliate. But a war between the nuclear-armed neighbours is a nightmare not just for India and Pakistan, but for the entire region

- Seema Guha

INDIA and Pakistan are stuck in a time warp. The world has moved on since 1947, when both countries got independence from British rule. Today, with the advent of AI, we are on the verge of the fourth industrial revolution. But the subcontinental neighbours are unable to shake off the history of partition that brought Kashmir into focus. The narrative set over 75 years ago continues to haunt India and Pakistan.

On April 22 afternoon, as images of blood-splattered holiday makers gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam surfaced, Kashmir once again grabbed the headlines. Fingerpointing at Pakistan followed. But it was the next day, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short an official visit to Saudi Arabia and held a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), that India formally named Pakistan. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters that at the CCS “the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out”. But Misri provided no details.

Pakistan quickly denied any involvement and deplored the terror strike. It also asked New Delhi to provide evidence to support the charge. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he is open to a “neutral, transparent” probe into the Pahalgam attack.

We are back to the familiar cycle of accusations and threats. While India accuses Pakistan of terrorism in Kashmir, Islamabad charges New Delhi with aiding terror outfits in its restive Balochistan province. Soon after the hijacking of a passenger train in Balochistan on March 11, Islamabad called out India as the “main sponsor” of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Again, no evidence was provided.