Pahalgam attack plunged Indo-Pak ties from minimal stability to deep crisis: Ex Envoy TCA Raghavan
TCA Raghavan
described the current state of
India-Pakistan relations
following the Pahalgam terrorist attack as "potentially very dangerous" and said that the incident has plunged the bilateral ties between the two countries from minimal stability to a "deep crisis". Talking to PTI on the sidelines of the recently concluded Nainital Literature Festival (NLF), Raghavan stressed that "one cannot underestimate the seriousness" of the current situation.
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"These were innocent tourists who were mercilessly killed, gunned down. So, in that sense, it is very reminiscent of the Mumbai terrorist attack, when many more people lost their lives, or it is like the situation after the Parliament attack.
"It is most unfortunate that a major terrorist attack such as this has plunged India-Pakistan relations from a period of minimum stability -- but nevertheless stability -- into a deep crisis," Raghavan said.
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The former diplomat served as India's high commissioner to Pakistan from June 6, 2013 till his retirement on December 31, 2015.
On April 22, terrorists opened fire in a meadow dubbed 'mini Switzerland' near the tourist hub of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. It is the worst attack in Kashmir since the Pulwama strike in 2019 when 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
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In the aftermath of the attack, India has downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a series of measures, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the 1960
Indus Water Treaty
, and the immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.
Highlighting the "dangers inherent" in the current situation, Raghavan emphasised that India's diplomatic steps -- especially the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty -- should not be discounted.
While acknowledging the widespread and deeply felt outrage across all sections of society in India, Raghavan noted that the government must address the current crisis on three fronts - "the international situation, the situation with regards to Pakistan, and the strong domestic outrage".
"There is a sense of outrage that the perpetrators of this attack should not go unpunished. So the government has to address each of these sentiments," he added.
That said, the 69-year-old also underscored that India cannot ignore the reality of being located in a "deeply troubled region" and, as such, cannot afford to disengage from its immediate neighbourhood, despite prevailing tensions.
The author of "The People Next Door: The Curious History of India-Pakistan Relations" emphasised that stability in our relations with the adversarial neighbour Pakistan is something which is in our overall national interest, closely linked to "India's long-term developmental objectives and the need to protect its economic gains".
"I hope that in the weeks and days ahead, regardless of what measures and counter measures are taken, a longer term view of India and South Asia is also kept in mind," he said.
Novelist Shobhaa De, author Anand Neelakantan, writer and former diplomat Vikas Swarup, actor Sandhya Mridul and food historian Pushpesh Pant were among the speakers at the inaugural edition of the NLF.
The three-day literature festival came to a close on April 27.
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