If Pakistan were to launch surgical strikes, India would not be able to forget it for generations to come…India would be teaching its children as part of syllabus what a surgical strike means if Pakistan launched such strikes.” So declared outgoing Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif Thursday. His words came as India and Pakistan ramped up cross-border shelling and violence, leading to casualties on both sides. But despite Islamabad’s repeated attempts to link the violence to Kashmir and seek international media attention, most nations are reluctant to do much except reiterate New Delhi’s position that this was a bilateral dispute, which needed to be resolved between the two nations.
While urging both sides to fi nd a solution, the new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in Pakistan on an offi cial visit, clearly declared that Britiain would not “prescribe a solution or act as a mediator”. Outgoing UN secretary Ban Kimoon, expressing concern over the deteriorating situation along the border, called “on all involved to prioritise the restoration of calm and stability,” but added that he “trusts India and Pakistan can work towards a sustainable peace”. Instead, however, both sides seem to be hardening their positions. While Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated that “We will never abandon our Kashmiri brethren in their freedom struggle,” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a clear reference to reviewing the Indus Water treaty between the two nations, telling a rally in Bathinda that “My farmers have the right over the water that flows through Indus…I will strive to get that water back.”
Pakistan, dependent on Indus waters, had earlier said any such attempt would be treated as an act of war. It is time both sides realised that while jingoistic chest thumping may be good for their respective domestic audiences, a saner, more measured response is needed to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control.