by Irshad Ahmad Mughal
The solution is simple: sit together, engage in dialogue, resolve conflicts, and establish trade relations to bring prosperity to South Asia. Yet our leaders embark on global tours, spouting complex rhetoric while avoiding the straightforward path to peace. This contradiction reveals the absurdity of our times – where we ignore root causes and instead complicate matters with aerial combat and military posturing.
What does this demonstrate – the wisdom or stupidity of modern South Asian leadership? When the keys to peace lie at our doorstep, why do we insist on searching for them in distant mountains?
This relentless avoidance of simple solutions makes a mockery of rationality itself. We have turned basic diplomacy into an unsolvable puzzle, when the answer has always been clear: talk, trade, and mutual respect. Until we embrace this obvious truth, South Asia will remain trapped in its self-created cycle of conflict and underdevelopment.
Following the recent ceasefire, India and Pakistan have embarked on an arms race while engaging in contradictory diplomatic maneuvers. Despite maintaining the ceasefire, both nations appear more focused on preparing for future conflict than pursuing lasting peace. Indian delegations, including Congress MP ‘Shashi Tharoor’s all-party mission to the Americas, have been actively courting international support—but to what end? ‘Tharoor’s visible disappointment during his Bogota visit raises critical questions: Is India seeking global backing to prolong the ceasefire, or to legitimize future hostilities?
This diplomatic ambiguity undermines India’s credibility. When objectives remain unclear and messaging inconsistent, international audiences grow skeptical. In contrast, Pakistan has adopted a more coherent stance aligned with global priorities—advocating for conflict resolution and regional stability. The international community broadly rejects war-mongering, extremism, and violence, yet India persists in marketing its hawkish agenda, which falls outside accepted diplomatic frameworks.
The current geopolitical landscape further complicates India’s position. Prime Minister Modi’s inability to accept military setbacks has transformed into a dangerous obsession with “revenge” against Pakistan—a narrative he hopes to weaponize for domestic political gain. However, the strategic reality has shifted dramatically. Not only has Pakistan demonstrated resilience, but it has also secured explicit backing from China, which has vowed to stand with Islamabad in any conflict. This has effectively created a counterbalance to Indian hegemony in South Asia.
India now resembles an enraged elephant—lashing out indiscriminately, blind to the emerging regional alliances that constrain its ambitions. Rather than recalibrating its approach, New Delhi clings to outdated notions of dominance, ignoring the new multipolar reality taking shape in South Asia.
The path forward is clear: regional problems demand regional solutions. Ego-driven posturing must give way to pragmatic dialogue. Until Indian leadership abandons its revanchist fantasies and acknowledges the changed geopolitical calculus, its diplomatic efforts will continue to falter—leaving South Asia trapped in a cycle of tension and instability.
While the recent conflict was initially justified as a fight against extremism, this narrative has been abandoned without addressing the underlying causes. No serious investigations have been conducted to identify and prosecute the actual culprits, leaving the fundamental issues unresolved.
Alarmingly, certain media analysts have brought the two nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war, severely damaging India’s carefully cultivated global image built over seven decades. These media personalities have spread rumors, false information, and war hysteria with complete impunity. Rather than holding them accountable, the BJP government has effectively emboldened them to continue their dangerous propaganda.
A mountain of lies may be constructed, but it remains just that – lies. As the saying goes, “One truth can dispel a thousand lies.” I must reiterate: the root cause of this conflict remains extremism, and the root cause of extremism is the unresolved Kashmir dispute. India’s persistent refusal to address this core issue means the problem will continue festering.
The harsh reality is this: until the Kashmir conflict is resolved through sincere dialogue and political settlement, the threat of war between Pakistan and India will loom perpetually over South Asia. Temporary ceasefires may provide brief respites, but without addressing the fundamental dispute, lasting peace will remain elusive.
New priorities have emerged, with both nations seeking to dominate the other through military escalation and hybrid warfare. Many analysts argue that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to leverage this tension to win the upcoming Bihar elections in September. His previous strategy—portraying Pakistan as a defeated adversary—successfully rallied voters in past elections. However, this narrative has lost credibility due to misinformation campaigns, India’s unexpected aerial combat losses to the Pakistani Air Force, and growing public skepticism.
Now, both countries are investing heavily in advanced weaponry, with Pakistan acquiring high-tech fighter jets from China and India turning to American suppliers. This arms race will likely dominate regional politics and trade in the coming years, with ordinary citizens bearing the cost through increased taxes to fund military modernization.
This reckless escalation reflects the tragic state of South Asian geopolitics, where irrational leadership prioritizes confrontation over stability—putting the entire region at risk.
About the Author:
Irshad Ahmad Mughal is the chairman of the Iraj Education & Development Foundation, based in 82B, New Chaburji Park, Lahore.
