Patriotic fervour and exuberance marked the Independence Days of India and Pakistan last week, but for the hapless people living along the border of the two warring nations there was precious little to celebrate.
On the contrary, they were mourning their dead. Cross-border firing by both armies has resulted in dozens of fatalities over the past few months, besides leaving many more permanently maimed and mentally scarred for life.
Almost every day both nations accuse each other of “resorting to unprovoked firing” – a standard line parroted by official spokespersons with such stupefying regularity that it has acquired a comicality of its own.
Provocative statements would be issued through the media, ambassadors would be summoned and given a perfunctory “warning” and talk show hosts and guests would declare war on each other. Retired military officers from both sides, who have now become political pundits, would throw punches at each other, often coming up with their own skewed versions of key moments in history.
It is common knowledge that maturity has never been the hallmark of subcontinental politics, irrespective of which governments are in power. All that matters to the “leaders” of both nations is the immediate politics of expediency, without any consideration for what needs to be done in the longer term.
Admittedly, domestic politics has a lot to do with this. Pakistan has had a long history of military rule, and its ambitious generals have often taken matters into their own hands. Nawaz Sharif, who is now prime minister for the third time, enjoys mass popularity only in the province of Punjab.
In India, the Narendra Modi-led government has shown little flexibility in dealing with Pakistan. Unlike the amenable Manmohan Singh, Modi has adopted a harder line when it comes to contentious issues, especially the one concerning the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Matters, however, cannot go on like this for long. Admittedly, permanent peace is still a bridge too far but certain decisions need to be taken to ensure there’s at least a semblance of calm along the border.
It belies logic that Modi and Sharif have still not talked to each other over the issue of “ceasefire violations”. All it takes for things to change is a phone call, but probably nobody wants to take the first step for the fear of appearing “weak”.
That explains why even after almost 70 years since the Partition the people of both nations have been kept in a permanent state of paranoia and confusion. As of now, sadly, it looks like there is no end to the stalemate.