With South Asia’s peace hanging in delicate balance, the recent hostilities between India and Pakistan underscore a pressing need for political maturity and diplomatic wisdom on both sides. In this volatile regional climate, it is reassuring to witness a softening in Pakistan’s tone — a shift that offers a glimmer of hope amid mounting tensions.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s rhetoric struck a discordant note, as he described the conflict as an ‘avenging’ of the 1971 war. Such language not only risks inflaming nationalist sentiments but also detracts from the painful lessons history has already offered. Thankfully, by week’s end, the prime minister had adopted a more measured stance, acknowledging that past wars had yielded “nothing but miseries” and calling for a comprehensive dialogue with India. This pivot is a positive sign — one that must be encouraged and built upon.
Former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar echoed similar sentiments, cautioning against celebration over India’s setback. Her words — “We must all be unapologetic as a country that celebrates a ceasefire” — ring with the moral clarity that is often absent in moments of heightened tension. Indeed, war is not a victory but a failure of diplomacy; a ceasefire, by contrast, represents a commitment to reason and restraint.
Pakistan’s indignation is understandable. Its early overtures for cooperation were met with indifference and aggression. The people, too, cannot be faulted for expressing pride in the military’s defence of national sovereignty. Yet, this moment must serve as a turning point. It is not enough to win a battle; the far greater goal must be to prevent future ones. National strength should not only be measured in military might but in the ability to pursue peace under pressure.
India, too, must reassess its approach. Escalating confrontation every few years serves no one, least of all the millions of citizens on both sides of the border who pay the highest price. New Delhi’s policy of regional dominance is shortsighted. War is not a spectacle to appease domestic audiences; it is a catastrophic gamble that destabilizes the entire region. India must recognise that sustainable peace requires equal engagement and mutual respect.
What has this latest flare-up achieved apart from further entrenching hostility? If anything, it has established a dangerous precedent — a ‘new normal’ where military exchanges risk becoming routine. This path leads nowhere.
It is time for both governments to demonstrate leadership not in war rooms, but at negotiation tables. The people of South Asia — bound by shared cultures, histories, and hopes — deserve more than perpetual conflict. They deserve peace.
