Pakistan, our Neighbour

Since yesterday, the television news channels in India have been full of visuals of the return of five Indian soldiers from Kashmir, massacred by Pakistani troops. One can see throngs of people who went to receive them, and to accompany them on their final journey. There is a real anger among Indians that is directed at the Pakistanis for their unending, relentless and unprovoked killings of Indian soldiers, as well as at our own pro-Pak government for continuing to take this nonsense from a rogue, despicable, and terrorist country.

Pakistan is a failed state, and given its past conduct vis-à-vis India during the last sixty years, there is absolutely no reason for India to engage with Pakistan. In fact, it is most surprising that India should even wish for improved relations with Pakistan.

As everybody knows, Pakistan has been waging a proxy war against India ever since Independence. Its war against India is not based on any principle or a justifiable belief in something higher—such as democracy vs. dictatorship, liberal vs. reactionary, or free market vs. communist. In fact, Pakistan itself is the epitome of all that is evil and abhorrent. Instead of being thankful or grateful to India for having had the opportunity of being exposed to a higher culture and ancient civilization, it just wants to continue to belittle India, kill as many Indians as it can without any provocation, foment trouble between India and its minorities, and grab whatever land it can by its regular military incursions. At best, Pakistan’s conduct can only be described as disgusting.

It suits Pakistan perfectly well to wage a proxy war against India. Proxies are the acts of cowards, it enables them to breach borders surreptitiously, attack from behind, kill and kidnap, and escape under the cover of darkness. According to government figures, this has happened more that 180 times in the last three years.

Like a true coward, Pakistan denies any involvement in these crimes when protests are lodged by the Indian government. It is not possible to win against an enemy when it is waging a proxy war, and when the enemy state has given a free reign to its armed forces to bomb, kill or kidnap without being accountable to anybody. If the Indian government is serious about defending its territory and people it must give a free hand to its military to respond in whatever way it sees fit. We cannot defeat terrorism by ignoring terrorist acts. We cannot wish it away.