The very recent incidence of terrorism inside Indian occupied Kashmir in Pahalgam has resulted in the emergence of war mongers with their deadly message of war hysteria.
Tempers have flared up across the length and breadth of India and the followers of right wing Hindu Fundamentalists have started firing their volleys of anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistani sentiments with a vengeance.
Kashmiri Muslims have become targets of the Modi Led hate brigades with some Hindu zealots promising to kill thousands of Muslims to avenge the death of the Hindus killed in the Pahalgam attack.
The Modi Govt.is becoming increasingly bellicose and war hysteria is being encouraged from across the border and all voices of reason and sanity appear to be muted with exchange of fire across the line of control in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
The Modi regime is hell bent on building up reasons for an onslaught on Pakistan by pacing the responsibility of the terror attack on Pakistan.
According to the New York Times “India has not officially identified any group as having carried out the massacre, and it has publicly presented little evidence to its claim that Pakistan was behind it.
Indian govt.officials still claim that they are investigating but the Modi govt.
has acted as judge and jury and proclaimed Pakistan as the guilty party in this case.
Immediately after the incident the Modi Govt.announced some immediate retaliatory actions against Pakistan including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.
Interestingly this treaty was not touched even during the 65 war the 71 war or the Kargil skirmish.
During an election speech in Bihar Narender Modi promised “Unimaginable punishment for the attackers and their backers.
The blood thirsty Indian leaders are totally oblivious to the deadly dangers of this military escalation.
Even a limited air strike on Pakistan will result in an immediate swift retort by Pakistan leading to another all-out war between the two nuclear armed countries of South Asia.
The belief that military escalation will be kept below the nuclear threshold is a pipe dream as both countries are quite ca-pable of pressing the nuclear button if they face imminent collapse or total defeat.
India and Pakistan have been on the brink of war many times in the past but the conditions today are far more deadly and serious than ever before as all diplomatic channels between the two neighbors are totally closed.
The tragic happenings in Pahalgam has been and must be condemned by all sane people as terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned and opposed tooth and nail.
As far as Pakistan is concerned we must avoid all forms of war mongering or boasting and flaunting the nuclear arsenal we have or even uttering irresponsible and dire warnings as has been done by some cabinet members.
The situation is already very volatile and every effort must be made to avoid pouring oil on a very combustible issue.
We need a very serious and rational approach to douse the flames of this fire.
We have to pull the country back from the brink of the impending peril of war.
The consequences of an all-out war are too horrible to imagine.
This conflict could bring untold horrors and damages and drag on for a very long time.
Today there is a complete breakdown of all diplomatic contacts between the two countries and the two sides are not communicating with each other.
The need of the hour is to make the best use of international institutions or neutral intermediateries to cool tempers and start some sort of a dialogue to find a way out of this impasse.
Only recently in 2002 we have faced an immediate danger of all-out war but better sense was used and the imminent danger of war avoided in the interest of peace.
This time the anti-Pakistan hysteria created by the right wing ultranationalist and fundamentalist followers of the Modi regime appear to be in control and have so far managed to block all efforts for negotiations and an end to the present crisis.
The Modi Govt. is under the false impression that they have the military capability to destroy Pakistan at a time when the international community is involved with the Ghaza conflict and the Ukraine war but they have forgotten that this war could also damage India beyond repair.
The BJP Govt. Led by Narender Modi has brutally crushed all voices of dissent in Indian occupied Kashmir and reneged on all previous promises to the people of Kashmir and this has exposed the reality that there is something horribly wrong in the state of Kashmir.
The BJP govt. needs to stop blaming others for their misfortune or acts of terror in their areas and this horror story should not be used to harvest supports and votes in the forthcoming elections in Bihar.
India has already put the Indus Water Treaty on the back burner in violation of all international norms and cut down the number of diplomatic staff in the Pakistan mission in New Delhi.
And it is not only the Indian government that is fueling anti-Muslim hysteria; Indian society at large also appears to be embracing this narrative of hate.
It seems no sane voice can prevail against the storm of war mongering brewing in the region.
But they forget that there will be no winners in this conflict.
War maniac has gripped people in Pakistan too some hawks on our side insist that we should Teach India a lesson but they need to be reminded that there can be no winners in a conflict between two nuclear armed powers hell bent on destroying each other.
Leaders on both sides must understand that a war between India and Pakistan will definitely result in a nuclear Armageddon resulting in death and destruction on a scale that is too horrible to even contemplate.
All life forms in this part of the world could be annihilated with the start of a nuclear winter and the cruel and immediate death of bil-lions of human beings in this region.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
