Indo-Pak Crisis
WHETHER India has really launched an aggression on Pakistan, as the latter claimed but denied by the former, needs confirmation from independent observers. But it is certain that a war is a reality in the sub-continent, no matter whether one would describe it as an “undeclared war” or simply as “localized border clashes.”
That the fighting did take place between India and Pakistan come as no surprise to anybody. The two neighboring countries have for more thar three months concerntrated their forces along the Borders. Besides, they have actively been seeking suport from other countries. History notes that India has signed a cooperation treaty with the Soviet Union and Pakistan has been assured of support from Red China. What is open to question new is whether the fighting will develop into an all-out war.
If one followrs the recent developments in the sub-continent and tries to find out the cause of the current crisis from them, he will arrive at the conclusion that the “Bangla Desh” movement is the thing responsible for the trouble. India sympathises with the oppressed Bengali people, supports their liberation movement and attacks President Yahya Khan’s genocide policy in East Pakistan. For its part, Pakistan accuses India of interfering in its internal affairs and holds it responsible for the uprising in East Pakistan.
To some extent, there is truth in the theory that the “Bangla Desh” issue is the cause of the Indo-Pak crisis. However, if one goes back further in history, he will find out that India and Pakistan, have never been on good terms with each other, in the real sense of the words, since they emerged as separate sovereign independent nations from the former British India in August 1947. There have always been issues over which they continously quarrel from time to time. The Kashmir despute is the issue which brought the two nations to a war in August-September 1965 and which they have never been able to settle thoroughly for 24 years. There were also clashes in April 1965 along the Assam-East Pakistan border and in the Rann of Cutch area along the West Pakistan-Gujarat. Each of the issues was only the immediate cause of an incident, while the real motive behind the clashes was the long standing enmity between the two neighboring countries.
The current crisis will not develop into an all out war if the leadere of the two nations are magnanimous enough to exercise restraint and press down the prejudices deep-rooted in them, but the unexpected may come if the leaders let reasons give way to sentiments. Urgently needed now, therefore, are leaders with great minds both in India and Pakistan:
Reference : The Djakarts Times, 26.11.1971