Rising India-Pakistan tensions worrying for region

The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the terror attacks at Pahalgam in Kashmir in which 26 persons were killed is reaching dangerous levels. With India quickly blaming Pakistan for being behind the attack and the two countries engaging in tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, both countries seem to be in no mood to back down from confrontation.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake was quick to condemn in the strongest terms the ‘cowardly terrorist attack in India.’ “Our hearts are with the victims and their families. Sri Lanka always stands in solidarity with the people of India,” he said in a message. Former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and a host of other Lankan politicians have also condemned the attack.  

Terrorism is a global menace that knows no borders. As a country that has borne the brunt of terrorism for decades, Sri Lankans know more than many others the heinous nature of terrorism which spares none. Children, women, men, fall victim to terrorist attacks irrespective of race, religion, colour, or any other differences. Hence a terrorist attack in any part of the world is a wakeup call to people across the globe on the need to work together to prevent such attacks. 

While India’s outrage at the attack is justified, and the finger pointing at Pakistan may be with evidence, there are questions about security lapses that lead to the attacks in the disputed Kashmir region of the country. Pakistan has long been India’s favourite punching bag and gets blamed for many of its problems. Both countries are nuclear powers which makes rising tensions between the two countries a concern for the world and particularly South Asia.

Giving voice to such concerns, the United Nations on Thursday appealed to both India and Pakistan to show “maximum restraint” and avoid any further “deterioration” following the deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir. “We very much appeal to both the governments ... to exercise maximum restraint, and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Sri Lanka has had friendly relations with both India and Pakistan by carefully manoeuvring its diplomatic relations in a manner so as to maintain cordial relations with both nations. Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with both countries in 1948, and has strengthened relations through strong economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties. Along with the two countries, Sri Lanka is also a member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which aims to bring countries in the area closer through cooperation in different fields.

‘When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled,’ is a famous saying and when two giants in the region – India and Pakistan – are at each other’s throats, a tiny nation like Sri Lanka faces the risk of being asked to take a side.

Sri Lanka’s ties with India are centuries-old and go beyond economic ties with religious and cultural ties running deep. After the economic crisis of 2022, ties have become stronger with India coming to the assistance of the country with financial aid when it was in dire need. The recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, him being honoured with the ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhishana’, the country’s highest civilian honour, and signing of several MoUs, including one on defence, all underscored the close ties between the two countries which the Government seems keen to consolidate.

But the Government will be keen to ensure that its close relations with India does not come at the cost of its relations with Pakistan which too has come to the country’s assistance in time of need.

It’s a tricky time for South Asia and the world in general and being a country in the region, Sri Lanka must call for restraint from both countries. While the smallest voice of sanity is important at this time the Government must engage with both countries through diplomatic channels as worsening relations between the two nations will impact the entire region adversely.