Sunday’s drone attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu, by which two bombs were dropped on the base, is a rude reminder that the terror state of Pakistan is back to its old villainy and that all overtures of peace with that country are futile. The attack has to be seen in the context of the April 2021 report by Pakistani newspaper Dawn, according to which, India approached Pakistan in December 2020 offering to hold back-channel talks on all outstanding issues. Dawn said that these talks were being held “between the intelligence leaderships of the two countries”. Without buying into the Pakistani narrative of New Delhi approaching Islamabad for talks, there are however other reports that suggest that the intelligence personnel of the two countries did indeed meet a few times between December 2020 and April 2021 in a Gulf country. During these talks, Pakistan apparently insisted that the status of Kashmir could not be changed by India (in other words, bring back Article 370); it wanted India to restore statehood to Jammu & Kashmir; it also said that only Kashmir would be discussed and not Pakistan Occupied Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. Apparently, it also insisted that India should not change Kashmir’s demography. If media reports are to be believed, the talks are stuck now, which should not be a surprise, for even an Indian government most forgiving, benevolent, and forgetful of Pakistani criminality cannot possibly agree to talk to Islamabad with such outrageous conditions imposed on it.
The larger question that must be asked is: why should India consider talking to Pakistan at all? What has changed in the last few months that has made India think that it can talk peace with Pakistan? It is still a terrorist state. Hoping for peace does not bring peace, especially when peace has to be negotiated with the devil called Pakistan, which is now backed by its “iron brother” China, India’s biggest foe. Instead, moves like this open the door for Kashmiri leaders such as Mehbooba Mufi to demand that Delhi “should have a dialogue with us and with Pakistan too in order to bring about a resolution” of the Kashmir issue. Why should India talk to Pakistan about Kashmir, which is its integral part? In fact, if Kashmir is still a “problem”, it is because of these leaders who have perpetuated family rule for decades and not allowed development to reach the ground. While it is important to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir, it is these leaders who are part of the problem, not the solution. What is needed instead is nurturing a new crop of grassroots leaders who can take the Centre’s message of peace and development to the ground.
Incidents of terrorism are rising in the Valley, with anyone seen to be aligned with the government under threat. Several such incidents have taken place, with the latest being the killing of a special police officer (SPO) and his family on Sunday night by terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Under direct control of the Pakistani military establishment, these terror groups are proof that terrorism continues to be Pakistan’s state policy. Just because mainstream media in the West is attempting to whitewash Imran Khan’s image and make him acceptable to the Joe Biden administration under influence of the Wahhabi-backing US politicians who go by the misnomer of “progressives”, does not change the fact that Khan is the English-speaking face of the vilest regime. In fact, President Joe Biden is yet to even speak with him, even though he has already met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani. And it is Pakistan, which is apparently “helping” the US cut a deal with the Taliban on the troops pullout from Afghanistan.
A lot is happening in the region. A lot more will happen once US troops leave Afghanistan, with the Taliban takeover of that country a very real possibility. This will allow Pakistan to elbow India out of that country. As the region is overrun with hard-core radical extremists, Pakistan will instigate more terrorist activities against India, specifically against its armed forces, because such attacks boost the morale of terror groups. The attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu was a curtain-raiser to what is likely to come. There cannot be any peace with Pakistan in such a situation.