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The bonhomie between the people of India and Pakistan has been cut short with the killings at the LoC. Can the tension spark off a larger conflict? Ranjit Bhushan looks at the options
In retrospect, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik's recent trip to New Delhi now seems like a distant little joke. All his ridiculous utterances paled into insignificance after the decapitation of two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) by Pakistani Army regulars along with their terror cohorts, the globally banned Laishkar e Toiba (LeT), on January 8.
In one stroke, all the good work done by diplomats, Track Two specialists, peaceniks, cultural exchange wallahs, sporting icons and the mass of common people was undone. A process which had gathered momentum as never before with the most people-to-people contacts on a sustained basis since 1947, certainly got someone's goat. Not too difficult to guess who it was though, as India pointed its finger at the Pakistani Army – after all who resides in the LoC?
The killings sent shock waves of anger as gory details emerged, prompted by a belligerent opposition demanding heads in return and shrill TV anchors equally vocal on asking questions on behalf of the 'nation'.
The impact was immediate – and visible. Pakistani hockey players who were in India to play in the Indian Hockey League were packed off home, a liberal visa regime for Pakistani elders was stopped hours before it was to be launched at the Wagah border, a visiting women's cricket team from Pakistan looked all set to return and the many weekend parties and dos meant to showcase this newly-found Indo-Pak bonhomie in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other places came crashing down like a pack of cards.
While Opposition ranted and railed, the Indian Army let it be known that a counter-hit would take place at “a day and time of their choosing.” Army Chief General Bikram Singh exhorted his army commanders to hit the enemy hard and not be 'timid' while placing their shots.
For some, the latest rocketing of tensions and its unpredictable outcome in the days to come is a worthy end to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's affair with Sharm-el-Sheikh, where India made undue 'concessions' to Pakistan in the desert expanse. Says BJP's Arun Jaitley, “The major lapse at Sharm-el-Sheikh was to delink action on terrorism from the Composite Dialogue Process. This can be considered a huge set back for India and I hope that the current development will be an eye opener for the UPA government.”
The incident confirmed how tenuous the peace is between the two south Asian neighbours. For those in Rawalpindi – the Pakistani Army's headquarters – who see peace between the two countries as anathema, it does not take much to undo years of hard work, back-channel diplomacy and intricate labour; a beheading like this is all that it takes to snuff out the peace pipe without breaking a sweat.
The Indian government has so far reacted soberly, even though Western diplomats based in Delhi attach much importance to the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that post the Mendhar killings, “it could not be business as usual” between the two countries. That, ironically, was signal enough for the others to follow suit with even the BJP saying the “PM has sensed the public mood.”
In retrospect, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik's recent trip to New Delhi now seems like a distant little joke. All his ridiculous utterances paled into insignificance after the decapitation of two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) by Pakistani Army regulars along with their terror cohorts, the globally banned Laishkar e Toiba (LeT), on January 8.
In one stroke, all the good work done by diplomats, Track Two specialists, peaceniks, cultural exchange wallahs, sporting icons and the mass of common people was undone. A process which had gathered momentum as never before with the most people-to-people contacts on a sustained basis since 1947, certainly got someone's goat. Not too difficult to guess who it was though, as India pointed its finger at the Pakistani Army – after all who resides in the LoC?
The killings sent shock waves of anger as gory details emerged, prompted by a belligerent opposition demanding heads in return and shrill TV anchors equally vocal on asking questions on behalf of the 'nation'.
The impact was immediate – and visible. Pakistani hockey players who were in India to play in the Indian Hockey League were packed off home, a liberal visa regime for Pakistani elders was stopped hours before it was to be launched at the Wagah border, a visiting women's cricket team from Pakistan looked all set to return and the many weekend parties and dos meant to showcase this newly-found Indo-Pak bonhomie in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other places came crashing down like a pack of cards.
While Opposition ranted and railed, the Indian Army let it be known that a counter-hit would take place at “a day and time of their choosing.” Army Chief General Bikram Singh exhorted his army commanders to hit the enemy hard and not be 'timid' while placing their shots.
For some, the latest rocketing of tensions and its unpredictable outcome in the days to come is a worthy end to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's affair with Sharm-el-Sheikh, where India made undue 'concessions' to Pakistan in the desert expanse. Says BJP's Arun Jaitley, “The major lapse at Sharm-el-Sheikh was to delink action on terrorism from the Composite Dialogue Process. This can be considered a huge set back for India and I hope that the current development will be an eye opener for the UPA government.”
The incident confirmed how tenuous the peace is between the two south Asian neighbours. For those in Rawalpindi – the Pakistani Army's headquarters – who see peace between the two countries as anathema, it does not take much to undo years of hard work, back-channel diplomacy and intricate labour; a beheading like this is all that it takes to snuff out the peace pipe without breaking a sweat.
The Indian government has so far reacted soberly, even though Western diplomats based in Delhi attach much importance to the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that post the Mendhar killings, “it could not be business as usual” between the two countries. That, ironically, was signal enough for the others to follow suit with even the BJP saying the “PM has sensed the public mood.”
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