India-Pakistan: Nations at Loggerheads

In India, cricket is not a sport, it is religion. And a match between India and Pakistan is not a game, it is war. India's win against Pakistan in the ongoing World Cup semi-final is one such victory. India-Pakistan history is a subject of great depth and breadth.

The border closing ceremony at Wagah, the only road connecting the countries, is a daily yet contemptuous ritual. On both sides of the border, the soldiers and the people who come to watch this ceremony every evening create a hostile atmosphere and the rivalry between the countries is palpable.

The nations have witnessed several political wars, armed conflicts and proxy-wars. The bone of contention has been Kashmir with each nation claiming its right over the land. A series of events have shaped the destiny of the nations.

It all started with the Indian partition on Aug. 14,1947, when the British divided the nation into an Islamic state of Pakistan and a secular state of India. British rule ended on Aug. 15. With freedom came the border demarcation issues with Pakistan, which went on to create the hostile history.

This was followed by the India-Pakistan war of 1965. The Pakistani infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir forced Indian forces to retaliate. The invaders were repulsed by the Indian army. U.N. intervention caused the nations to sign the Tashkent Agreement resolving to maintain peace.

The formation of a separate state of Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, was a result of the Indo-Pak War of 1971.East Pakistan had a dominant Bengali-speaking population and did not want to be under the rule of West Pakistan. This led to an uprising by the people of East Pakistan and, to gain control, horrific massacres were conducted by the Pakistani army. The Hindu population of Bangladesh fled for shelter to India. India was supportive of Bangladesh. To dissuade India, the Pakistani Air Force struck India in the western region and a war was declared. Indian armed forces struck back, forcing the Pakistani Air Force to surrender.

The Siachen conflict was fought at the highest battle ground in the world. With the extreme temperatures, fierce weather and icy mountains, Siachen becomes the one of the globe's toughest regions to surmount. In 1984, preempting the Pakistani planned attack to capture the territory, India launched operation Meghdoot and gained control over the area.

The next major military combat was in the Kargil War in 1999. The Pakistani army launched an attack to alter the status of the Line Of Control (LOC) between the nations. By gaining large tracts of land near the LOC, it planned to negotiate on the Kashmir issue. However, the Indian army and air force fought a continuous day and night war to regain control of the intruded land.

The latest event was the Mumbai attacks on Nov. 26, 2008. Pakistani terrorists armed with guns and grenades went on a rampage, killing innocent people at the city's train station, hotels, restaurants, holding the city hostage. This was to prove to India that Pakistan was not to give up its long battle for land. This refreshed the memories of the Indian people, who have grown even more hostile toward Pakistan after this brutal incident.

Though there have been efforts by both nations to ease these tensions, none seemed to have succeeded. Both countries have used the media and sometimes the education system to reinforce hostile mindsets. The common man in both nations just wants peace.

Both of these nations have their own story to tell. Both have their individual justifications. And both nations, while continuing to allocate huge budgets toward defense, talk about wanting peace.

Peace is the End; War can never be the means to the End.

SOURCES:

Mridula Kapur, "Sundown 'Madness' at Wagah", The -south-asian-.com

"Pak textbooks build hate culture against India", The Times of India.

Kuldip Nayar, "Media spoils India-Pakistan ties", Mathrubhumi.

"Peace mission finds Pakistanis connect with India", The Times Of India.