India and Pakistan are two neighborly countries that are both nuclear powers. Both sides have spent extensive amount of time money and effort to develop nuclear weapons and ways to deliver them. This nuclear race in the region was originally started by India in the early 70's. This was a time when tensions between the two neighbors have been very high as a result of Indian interference in the breakup of Pakistan into two countries. India openly supported the rebellion on its eastern side with weapons and military force. Indian troops eventually attacked Pakistan's eastern part in 1971 and occupied the country. The world powers intervened and forced India to retreat its troops and Pakistan eventually accepted the formation of a new country called Bangla Desh.
Soon after India's nuclear test in 1974, Pakistan as a reaction to avoid India's future threat and blackmail, embarked on its own nuclear weapons program and eventually caught up in numbers and capabilities with rival neighbor. At present both sides have more than enough weapons and delivery systems to destroy each other many times over. In addition both sides have also developed tactical battleground nuclear weapons that can be used effectively against advancing military armored columns from the other side.
It is unfortunate that these two neighbors who have the biggest poverty and unemployment in the world and a vast rising population growth have embarked on wasting so much money and resources on such mass destruction weapons that could have been used for job creation and public works for the benefit of the vast majority of their people.
Despite nuclear weapons both sides also continue to waste billions on conventional weapons development upgrade for the most part through major purchases from foreign countries. Thus wasting a considerable sum of foreign exchange resources that could have been used for the development of their countries in civilian sector.
Recent years have seen some reduction of possible tensions between the neighbors but every now and then the basic issues of territorial disputes crop up that result in military clashes with soldiers dying from both sides.
Recently there was a skirmish on the disputed border of Kashmir in which both sided ended up losing lives.
The Indian government exaggerated the conflict and raised the stakes of a possible nuclear conflict between the two nations by alerting the people of Kashmir on a possible nuclear attack. This announcement has left many people scrambling for making sense on how to protect themselves against such a possibility. Business and civilian life is completely disturbed in Kashmir.
Instead of raising the issues at bilateral discussions and resolving them, both governments have time and again continued to create more complexity by blaming each other and trying to internationalize the acts of military skirmishes.
India has not lost the opportunity to politicize perceived military threats. By announcing to the people of Kashmir a possible nuclear threat of war, India is using fear tactics on one hand and possibly trying to hide its own aim of installing major nuclear weapons inside Kashmir and its border areas with Pakistan.
The people of Kashmir have by and large over the years identified themselves to be closer to Pakistan in terms culture language and other relations. Many of the families have loved ones that are divided now from each other for more than 65 years across a disputed borderline that has been enforced by India through military forces. The fact is that the people of Kashmir by and large made a decision in 1947 to join the new state of Pakistan. However the Indian government of that time lured the local prince ruling the state to make a decision to join India. That was not accepted by the majority of people of Kashmir who revolted the decision. Riots broke out that ended up with a war between India and Pakistan soon after 1947 Independence from British Rule.
Pakistan was able to liberate a part of the land of Kashmir from India and since then the remaining part of Kashmir is considered as a disputed territory along the disputed heavily militarized line.
In the end UN intervened in 1948 to arrange a ceasefire and a decision to hold a free Plebiscite or referendum by the people of Kashmir to decide their future. Pakistan agreed to terms of ceasefire and agreed to a UN sponsored Plebiscite in Kashmir to resolve the issues peacefully. However more than sixty years have passed and India has refused to support UN sponsored Plebiscite in Kashmir. Instead India has thrown in a major military might and build up and has routinely used inhuman tactics against the people of Kashmir to suppress their voices for freedom from Indian Rule. Many thousands have been killed by Indian troops with major human rights violations ranging from torture to rape of civilians over the years.
Once again we have a region of the world where a major war and more likely nuclear war can break out anytime as a result injustice and human rights violation of a people. The world powers should do their best to stop supporting militarily both sides and urge both sides to resolve territorial and human rights issues through bi-lateral dialogue.
India needs to acknowledge the fact that it should accept the results of a UN sponsored referendum in the region of Kashmir and let the people of Kashmir decide their fate rather than enforce military build-ups and militarily crushing the demonstration by the people of Kashmir against rule of martial law in their land.
India must stop talk of nuclear war, it must remove military rule from parts of Kashmir and start talking on ways to resolve the issues peacefully. India has called itself the worlds biggest democracy but its acts in Kashmir are otherwise where people are subjugated daily to military assaults to their privacy and subjugation of their rights to assemble and speak-up openly for their freedom from Indian military rule.