Permanent confrontation and hostility between Pakistan and India will not serve the best interests of both the nations and the region. India and Pakistan fought four wars on Kashmir. No doubt Kashmir is a bone of contention between the two neighboring states. Peaceful settlement of all the major Issues including the Kashmir issue is in the best interest of both the nations.

India conducted its first nuclear test in Pokharan desert in 1974.Pakistan conducted its nuclear tests in May1998 in Chaghai, Balochistan. Since then Kashmir became a nuclear flash point between two nations. India’s continuous military advancements and installations close to Pakistani borders pushing Pakistan also to advance its conventional and non conventional capabilities.

It also reminds us about the technological, military and space race between United States and the former USSR. This is also a fact that Pakistan and India can not change their geographies. So they have to live peacefully as good neighbor for the economic and social development and for the uplift of the common man. Now both the nations have to learn from their past bitter experiences. 

It’s quite obvious that any kind of military expedition in south Asia, conventional or non conventional from any side will not serve the national interests of both the nations. Any military escalation in South Asia will not only destabilize south Asia but will also be a great threat to the whole region as well. And no doubt it will be a great threat for the international peace and security as well. 

What came out of the War of 1948, 1965, and 1971 and the Kargil crisis of 1999? It promotes an economic recession of the developing economies of both the countries. Now both countries should respect the sovereignty, integrity and the territorial boundaries of each other.

Both governments should think seriously about the poverty reduction plans and programs in south Asia. There are also many areas in India and Pakistan where people are living below the poverty line.  So rather than involving them in a military race both countries should invest in social sector development. 

Both the countries should stress the economic uplift of the common man. So instead of dreaming of becoming a Mini super power, India must learn a lesson from the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Despite having all kinds of conventional and non conventional weapons the USSR collapsed. Now both states must realize that any military adventure will not be helpful in settling the various issues including the core issue of Kashmir.

No doubt, India is world’s biggest democracy. Now the democratic regime in India should put more focus on regional-cooperation against terrorism. (especially sincere intelligence sharing with Pakistan), social, political, and economic development of the masses. 

Instead of hostility towards Pakistan, India should co-operate with Pakistan in all the outstanding issues including joint efforts against terrorism especially in the investigation of Bombay attacks. The blame game will not serve the interests of both the nations. The recent statement by Indian prime Minster is hostile toward Pakistan and it will not serve the interests of both the nations. 

Terrorism is a common threat to both India and Pakistan. Now both countries should co-operate and believe in intelligence sharing and form an intelligence sharing network. Misunderstandings and mistrust will cause a serious weakness in handling terrorism which is now affecting the growth rate of both the developing economies as well. 

We have so many issues yet to be settled with India: water disputes, Siachen Glacier, Sir creek and the core issue of Kashmir. So by co-operating co-coordinating and forming trust worthy relations we can solve all the outstanding issues including the core issue of Kashmir. Leader’s from both sides should sit to gather and should initiate a dialogue process for normalizing relations between the two nuclear neighbors. 

Regionalism can play an important role in improving the relations between the two nuclear neighbors and the regional organizations like SAARC can play an important role in enhancing more co-operations among all the countries of South Asia in various fields.

The Pakistan government has taken several positive steps towards the creation of a serious regional dialogue. A major one was the proposal to create a South Asia Nuclear Free Zone. Pakistan has also proposed discussion of other outstanding issues –The Siachen glacier, distribution of water and Kashmir.

Strong prosperous Pakistan is not only in the best interest of rest of the world but also in the best interest of India as well. Together both the states can defeat terrorism and can get rid of non state actors because these terrorists or extremists are the enemies of the both states and they want to destabilize both the states and the whole region.

Now we have seen wider effects of terrorism in Iran and few bordering areas of China (sink-kiang). Joint efforts against terrorism and extremism from all the South Asian States will be a great contribution not for the region but for the International peace and security.

Prof. Kamran James
Department of Political science
Forman Christian College
(A Chartered University) 

Other articles by Prof. Kamran James

Need For an Electoral Reforms (Prof. Kamran James)

This article was read at International Minorities Conference, 2009 Warris Road Lahore, Pakistan on Dec 12, 2009
Read full detail ...

New Articles

Two brothers-accused of Blasphemy- killed in Pakistan: An extra judicial killing in the premises of the court (Revd Rana Youab Khan)

Christian and other human rights organisations seek a permanent solution to these murderous attacks which happen from time to time under the guise of the blasphemy  law and so demands to abolish the blasphemy law have become more vibrant and vocal. Building on reports and news, we have been receiving from few days, I produce a note to share our concern with the friends and partners in the communion and elsewhere.
Read full detail ...

Objections to the Objectives Resolution: A Minorities' Perspective (Revd Rana Youab Khan)

Nowadays, this question is widely under discussion in the Pakistan media, ‘Are we going into another phase of tension between the government and the Judiciary’? On April 18th the National Assembly of Pakistan passed the eighteenth amendment of the constitution of Pakistan but already, a full bench of the 17-member of Supreme Court chaired by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had start hearing a set of petitions challenging certain provisions of the 18th Amendment. Under particular challenge was the formation of a judicial commission for the appointment of superior court judges. The decision taken by the Judiciary and the response of the government will determine the future of the amendment. This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that a president has relinquished a significant part of his powers willingly and transferred them to parliament and the office of the prime minister. The 18th amendment also includes an aspect of concern to the minorities, which has been acknowledged by the Chief Justice of Pakistan. He said, credit must go to the present parliament, which after 25 years took notice of the brazen way in which the word 'freely', relating to minorities’ rights which had always been part of the Constitution had been removed and would now be restored in the Objectives Resolution.
Read full detail ...

Blasphemy Laws and intolerance by extremist Muslims towards other faiths are an insult to Prophet Mohammed (Yunis Khushi)

Could a Christian compel Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Jens, Parsis, Buddhists, and atheists to respect Jesus Christ the way he respects him, and the way he worships Him as his Lord, God, and Saviour? If a Christian does so, then he is denying the very teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. Could anyone be compelled to pay a respect to any religion, any faith, any book, any prophet, or any kind of beliefs held by some people, or a group of people, or individuals, if that person is not an adherent of that faith, or if he does not want to pay the same respect to that prophet, book, beliefs as the adherents of that faith do? Why are Muslims so much intolerant towards the other faiths? Why do they call Kaffirs (nonbelievers) to everyone who is not a Muslim? Why has the hatred of the Sunni Muslims reached to a level whereby they are calling even Shias as Kaffirs? Why do they want people of all faiths to believe in Prophet Mohammed the way the Muslims believe in Prophet Mohammed? What have been the effects of the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan? What will be the effects of religious intolerance on human culture and civilization? The following article will analyze the above questions and the general attitudes of the Muslims towards the people of other faiths, and the impact of the intolerant attitudes of the extremist Muslims towards other faiths and among the different denominations of Muslims themselves.
Read full detail ...

How many more lost years? (Nasir Saeed)

In the last month, three Christians have received lengthy prison sentences for blasphemy. Qamar David was given a life sentence after being found guilty of sending insulting text messages from his mobile phone in 2006, a charge he denied. Days later, husband and wife Ruqiya and Munir Masih were sentenced to 25 years in prison for supposedly desecrating the Koran, a ruling which, in a country with so little welfare provision, has effectively sentenced their six children to an uncertain future.
Read full detail ...

8 Steps to Effective Christian Leadership (Ghazal Bhatti)

As a Christian leader, you are held to high moral, ethical, and social standards. As a leader, you are held to high standards, but as a Christian leader, that bar is raised even higher. Why? Because both the Christian and non-Christian social environment has tended to expect that Christians measure up to their self-proclaimed moral and ethical standards, as they rightly should. What can you do to be sure you ‘stand up to the test’ in the area of Christian leadership?
Read full detail ...