Firing at the border not conducive to talks

The relentless cross-border shelling by the Pakistani troops has reportedly damaged at least 700 houses in Samba sector in Jammu forcing residents to leave for safer places. The cease-fire violations have worsened over the past week.  It is understood that around 11,000 residents have been displaced due to the shelling with at least 7,000 of them packed in makeshift shelter homes at schools, community halls and temples in Samba, Akhnoor and R S Pura. India cannot remain a silent spectator to the suffering the people of Jammu are going through because of the firing along the Line of Control (LoC). It is the civilians who are suffering because of the misadventures of the Pakistani troops. It is indeed a serious situation along the border. India has reportedly warned Pakistan of suffering ‘unaffordable costs’ for its ‘adventurism’. Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has made things worse by accusing India of adopting the ‘Israel model’ against Pakistan. There has been an aggressive stance adopted by Pakistan which has reportedly invoked its nuclear arsenal and called a meeting of its national security council to review its options. While Pakistan appears to be beating the war-drums, besides the stern warning already issued by Delhi, India should not be provoked for it appears to be the game-plan of Pakistan and India should not fall into the trap. India should not up the ante. Retaliation is not the answer for lasting peace in the valley. War is not the answer. Better sense should prevail as far as Pakistan is concerned. Both the countries should explore all ways of ending the dead-lock. Negotiation is the only way out. The peace process should be put back on track. The silver lining is that a visiting Congressional delegation from US has reportedly expressed serious concern over the firing across LoC and international border describing the incidents as “significant provocation at the border”. The delegation has reportedly backed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s call for India and Pakistan to address the issue diplomatically and through dialogue. Pakistan cannot ignore international sentiments and should act accordingly. However, one cannot shake hands with clenched fists. PM Narendra Modi has asserted that cross-border hostility would continue to be met with courage from the Indian armed forces. The cross-border firing needs to stop for any dialogue to take place. As Modi had said when he took over as prime minister, “talks cannot be heard in the din of guns firing.”