The Hall of Pulwama Fallout
he attack was first of its kind and it certainly created havoc. Not only in terms of the human causalities
The first death anniversary of those 50 security personal men who were martyred in South Kashmir Pulwama on 14th of February, last year, in a suicide attack by a Kashmiri youth. Aadil Ahmad Dar, who was in his early 20’s, drew his bomb laden car into a bus carrying CRPF personnel near Awantipora in the Pulwama district, of South Kashmir.
The attack was first of its kind and it certainly created havoc. Not only in terms of the human causalities but also because of its fallout as after the Pulwama attack a series of incidents occurred that worsened the India Pakistan relations.
Soon after the incident New Delhi withdrew Most Favoured Nation (MNF) status granted to Pakistan way back in 1996. Due to the MNF status by given India, Pakistani traders had a non-discriminatory access to the Indian markets. Since then, like other sort of relations, the trade ties between the two countries are at halt causing huge losses to both the neighbours.
আরও পড়ুনঃ বীর যোদ্ধাদের জানাই সেলাম, জয়হিন্দ….
About two weeks after the Pulwama attack as many as 12 Mirage 2000 jets of the Indian Air Force crossed into the Pakistani territory dropping bombs on the hills of Balakote in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. India claimed this aggressive move was amid to destroy the militant camps. However Pakistan claimed that the Indian bombs destroyed just a few trees on the mountains. Next day Pakistani Air force retaliated and dropped several bombs on Indian side of Line of Control. The skirmish virtually brought the two nuclear countries at the verge of war. It was for the first time in more than 50 years of history that Indian and Pakistani Jet fighters roared in each other’s territories. Last time, such horrifying scenes had been seen in 1965 war.
It was only because of the international pressure, efforts from some world leaders and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cleaver move by returning the Indian pilot unharmed, that stopped any further escalation in the region. But the bucks did not stop here.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently informed the lok Sabha that Pakistan has done more than 3,000 ceasefire violations along LoC during the year of 2019. He said India is befittingly responding these provocative firing incidents. Clearly, numerous armed skirmishes have become a routine between the two countries. Besides, bleeding each other on the borders and LoC, both the countries are also fighting a different kind war. That is a battle on diplomatic front. Both the countries have been trying to degrade each other on the international forums. India is trying to project Pakistan as country that sponsors terror in the region.
While as Pakistan is continuously embarrassing India on international forums for its abusive behaviour in Kashmir and for mass human rights violations. This verbal war has gained momentum since the Modi government revoked special status and the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 in 2019, almost six months after the Pulwama attack.
Since then situation in Kashmir has become so unproductive that government is even hesitant of restoring the internet service to the citizens. The communication lines and the internet were cut off the day when article 370 was revoked in August 5, last year. Not only that New Delhi is so unsure of the situation in the Valley that it choose to put it own men in Kashmir including three of the former chief ministers behind bars with our expressing any genuine charge against them.
Briefly, both the nuclear armed countries have been in hostile situation after Pulwama attack occurred particularly after the August 5, 2019 and particularly after the onslaught on Kashmir’s semi autonomy and its statehood.
In these hostile conditions, New Delhi is preparing to host the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in coming months. As a member country Pakistan has to attend the meeting and Indian foreign office has indicated that Prime Minister Imran Khan will be invited to the summit of this prestigious forum.
Analysts hope that the even could be proving as ice breaking in terms of hostile relations between the two neighbouring countries. But the fact is that post Pulwama situations and several undoable incidents have caused a lot of enmity, anger and hatred in the region.
Surly the negativity will be long lasting and to transform the situation into a positive one needs a lot of handwork and patience.
Above all both the countries have to come on table to address the root cause of this enmity. And it is no secret that the root cause is the dispute of Kashmir, that needs to be resolved once forever.
