Unfortunately, every few years, the Pakistan army chooses to attack India, one way or the other. This time it was by sending terrorists across the border to launch the cowardly and horrendous massacre in Pahalgam. This time, Shahbaz Sharif is Prime Minister with elder brother Nawaz beside him. At the time of Kargil, Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, and he later openly said he had no idea that the army had launched the attack. Both the Sharifs are generally well disposed to India and believe in living in peace and even friendship with India. Nawaz Sharif had a good equation with PM Vajpayee, and has also with PM Modi. Yet the army has an agenda of its own and can and does act independently of the civilian government. In spite of their plans being repeatedly foiled, and suffering big losses in men and material, the Pakistan army does not seem to learn its lesson, and has persisted in its misadventures.
It drags the civilian government along which is then obligated to publicly support its army. Since the Uri attack, the Pakistan army has sought to deploy terrorists, which it believes has allowed deniability. But PM Modi’s firm and widespread response has underlined that such attacks will have severe consequences for Pakistan.
State-sponsored terrorists or jihadis have had a ruinous impact on Pakistan itself. Starting with the mujahideen that Pakistan used, with full US backing first against the Soviets in Afghanistan, before their deployment in Kashmir, terrorism has become a monster in Pakistan itself. In the last 25 years, there have been terrorist attacks, by different groups and for different causes, within Pakistan itself that have killed over 20,000 civilians and approximately 10,000 security personnel. On an average over 1,000 people are killed annually in Pakistan. This terrorism is estimated to have caused direct losses of over $125 billion. And is one of the major reasons for the downslide of Pakistan’s economy. The jihadi mindset may be present only among a small portion of the general public in Pakistan, but in absolute numbers this is not small. In the army the proportion may be somewhat larger. But though in a small minority, the majority of the population and the mainstream in the army have not been able to shake off their influence and their ability to drive their agenda.
PM Modi has rightly said that this is not an age of war. And India has only responded to Pakistan’s actions. But since the Uri attack in 2016, there has been a virtual Berlin Wall or an Iron curtain, between India and Pakistan. But many ‘peace-mongers’ and ‘peaceniks’ on both sides of the border believe that such a wall or curtain only strengthens the minority jihadi element, that ignores the wellbeing of both the countries. They agree that terrorism must be firmly dealt with. But they argue for a peaceful, open relationship. It is true that India with its much larger and booming economy is much less impacted. But both countries would undeniably benefit greatly from a peaceful and open relationship between the two countries, with multiple avenues for people-to-people exchange.
As PM Vajpayee had said, we can choose our friends, but not our neighbours.