The Irish Independent's view: Diplomacy must find answer to potentially catastrophic dispute between India and Pakistan
Seething tensions over the disputed Kashmir region date from 1947. India has long accused Pakistan of fomenting separatist violence. Once a princely state, Kashmir today is a heavily-militarised zone administered by India. Blood has been spilled there almost since the once British-ruled subcontinent was partitioned into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
It was the killing of 25 Indian tourists and a Kashmiri man last month that created the current flashpoint. Kashmir has triggered fighting between the two countries before, in 1947, 1965 and 1999, and between India and China in 1962.
What is so frightening is that both India and Pakistan are nuclear-armed. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Pakistan and India each possess about 170 nuclear warheads. Neither country is a signatory to the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, yet somehow the case for preventing nuclear proliferation has slid down the list of priorities on the global agenda.
In response to India's attack, the Pakistani government said it had authorised its military to take measures 'corresponding' to the country's 'self-defence, at a time, place and manner of its choosing'.
It is going to take something more nuanced than plaintive pleas for calm to walk this crisis back
India's assault was its most extensive in decades, with Pakistan claiming 26 people had been killed.
The situation is on a knife-edge, with India carrying out mock drills, simulated air raids and fire emergencies. They are the first such nationwide operations since 1971. Donald Trump called the strikes 'a shame' and said he hoped the conflict 'ends very soon'.
China has appealed to both sides to de-escalate tensions, but it is going to take something more nuanced than plaintive pleas for calm to walk this crisis back.
Kashmir is India's sole Muslim-majority region, but in 2019, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi stripped it of its semi-autonomous status. It is claimed by both India and Pakistan, but divided between. A decades-long insurgency has claimed thousands of lives.
The stand-off has defied all attempts at resolution. The absence of a credible international mediator makes it all the more worrying. America's withdrawal from its role as international policeman has left a vacuum.
The often-derided Ronald Reagan said: 'Our moral imperative is to work with all our powers for that day when the children of the world grow up without the fear of nuclear war.'
The stakes are simply too high for New Delhi or Islamabad to make a miscalculation. Diplomacy must come into play if off-ramps are to be found. Getting sucked into an escalatory cycle would be catastrophic.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
34 minutes ago
- Irish Times
US pulls embassy staff from parts of Middle East as threats emerge over potential Israel attack on Iran
The US ordered some staff to depart its embassy in Baghdad and authorised families of military service members to leave the region, officials said, after Iran threatened to strike American bases if it's attacked over its nuclear program. The decision to reduce staffing in Iraq was 'based on our latest analysis,' according to the state department. defence secretary Pete Hegseth authorised family members of US military stationed across the region to leave, according to a Pentagon statement. Neither statement cited a specific threat but the New York Post published an interview in which president Donald Trump said he's growing less confident about the prospects for negotiations to impose new limits on Iran's nuclear program. Iran, meanwhile, warned of retaliation against US military assets in the Middle East if the talks collapse and the Islamic Republic is attacked. 'I sincerely hope it won't come to that and that the talks reach a resolution,' Iran's defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in televised remarks. 'But if they don't, and conflict is imposed on us, the other side will undoubtedly suffer greater losses. We will target all US bases in host countries without hesitation.' READ MORE US officials have been told that Israel is ready to launch an operation into Iran, which is part of the reason why the Trump administration advised some Americans to leave the region, CBS News reported on Wednesday evening, citing multiple sources it did not name. The initial report did not offer a time frame for any operation. [ US immigration officials raid California farms and Los Angeles area Opens in new window ] West Texas Intermediate futures surged as much as 5.2% after Reuters reported earlier that the US embassy was preparing for an ordered departure in response to heightened security risks in the region. Iraq is the second-largest OPEC producer. Earlier in the day, the UK Navy issued a rare warning to mariners that higher tensions in the Middle East could affect shipping, including through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping has often been risky in the Middle East, but UKMTO, which acts as a liaison between the navy and commercial shipping, rarely puts out general warnings such as this one. 'UKMTO has been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners,' the advisory said. 'Vessels are advised to transit the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Straits of Hormuz with caution.' The Joint Maritime Information Center, an information sharing hub that comes under the Combined Maritime Forces, warned of heightened risks from the discord, including the possible use of missiles around chokepoints. [ Israeli strikes kill at least 60 in Gaza, many at aid site, say health officials Opens in new window ] Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint and Iran has frequently threatened to close it during times of geopolitical strife. However, it has never done so. Hegseth's move applies to family of service members stationed across the US Central Command area of operation, which includes most of the region, according to the statement. 'Centcom is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,' the Pentagon said. Tehran says it is preparing a fresh proposal regarding its atomic activities before a sixth round in Muscat, the Omani capital, on Sunday. That 'can be used as a basis for work,' Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday, suggesting Iran is considering a temporary deal that acts as a framework while technical details — many of them highly complex — are worked on. Trump has consistently said he wants an agreement that curbs Iran's atomic activities and that the US could strike Iran if the talks break down. Israel — which believes a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat — says it could attack Tehran, with or without US help. Iran has long denied having plans to build a nuclear weapon. - Bloomberg
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Marines to deploy on LA streets within two days with authority to detain civilians
US Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents. US president Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on US. soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago. Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city's downtown area. The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday. "If I didn't act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now," said Trump at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary and illegal deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian. Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice. "President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US military said on Wednesday that a battalion of 700 Marines had concluded training specific to the L.A. mission, including de-escalation and crowd control. They would join National Guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10 within 48 hours, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said. "Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties," the Northern Command said. The separtment of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: "If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest." Scott Sherman, who commands the task force of Marines and Guardsmen, told reporters the Marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds. 'If we give up, it's over' In downtown L.A., shortly before the second night of a curfew over a one square mile (2.5 square km) area, relative calm was broken. Police said demonstrators at one location threw commercial grade fireworks and rocks at officers. Another group of nearly 1,000 demonstrators were peacefully marching through downtown when police suddenly opened fired with less lethal munitions in front of City Hall. Marlene Lopez, 39, a Los Angeles native, was demonstrating as flash bangs exploded just a few meters away. "I am out here because of the fact that our human rights are being violated every day. If we give up, it's over. We have to stand our ground here in L.A. so that the nation will follow us," Lopez said. Other protests have also taken place in Santa Ana, a largely Mexican-American city about 30 miles (50 km) to the south, as well as major cities such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Washington and San Antonio, Texas.
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
EU's tariff ‘hitlist' will hurt Ireland more than other member states, says lobby group Ibec
The EU's planned countermeasures against Donald Trump's proposed tariffs would have a 'disproportionate' impact on Ireland and Irish business, according to an analysis by Ibec.
