Mediation called for The international community should step in and settle the decades-old conflict between Pakistan and India over the territory of Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani natives in Hawaii say.
in Kashmir
Pakistani and Indian natives in
Hawaii stay attuned to the conflictBy Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.comSince the Dec. 13 suicide attack on India's Parliament building in New Delhi, when 14 people were killed, tension has escalated between the two nuclear-armed countries, with troops amassing on both sides of the border.
"I don't think it would lead to war," said A. Karim Khan, an assistant professor of history and chairman of International Education at Leeward Community College. "I think the reality of war is too horrendous."
Khan, who was born in the northwest Pakistan province of Peshawar, said that as India and Pakistan have been unable to solve their differences over Kashmir, the international community, led by the United Nations, the United States, England, France and Germany, should get involved before war -- possibly nuclear war -- erupts.
"Why not do it in peace time instead of times of war?" he asked. "Is it worth it to carry on these things forever?"
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's decision to arrest Islamic militant group members accused of the Parliament attack has helped to ease some of the tension, but Khan said that India must also honor a commitment it made in 1948 to allow the citizens of Kashmir a fair, free referendum to decide whether to join the primarily Muslim country of Pakistan or remain part of the mostly Hindu India.
"Kashmir is the only Muslim majority state in India and they would definitely, as Muslims, definitely join Pakistan," Khan said.
But if India lets Kashmir join Pakistan, Khan said, it could encourage large separatist movements in other Indian states, such as Assam in the east.
Arun Swamy, an East-West Center fellow from India, said the arrest of Hafiz Saeed -- until last week the leader of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba organization, one of the terrorist groups blamed for the attack on the Parliament -- will not avert war, "but it is a start, it is a step in the right direction."
Indeed, yesterday, India's leadership indicated they are willing to talk if Pakistan sheds its "anti-India mentality."
"The main question is whether Pakistan is going to crack down on militant groups," Swamy said. "What India wants is a physical and unambiguous crackdown and essentially, I think, painted themselves into a corner if Pakistan does not."
If the conflict is not resolved, "it would be the first time there have been direct hostilities against two nuclear-armed countries," Swamy noted.
Even so, the odds of nuclear war is "unlikely, very unlikely," he said, as both countries have said they would not initiate a nuclear attack.
The two previous wars over Kashmir in 1965 and 1972 were border wars, he said.
"Most likely, if it starts, India would at least try to limit it to the disputed province of Kashmir instead of trying to attack Pakistan proper," Swamy said.
Consulting engineer Ather Dar lived in the Lahore province of Pakistan, 14 miles away from the Indian border during the previous two wars.
"We were just kids at the time. It was fun, I guess, to see the military going around," he said.
Sometimes they would go up to the second floor of their home to watch the "fireworks" from the fighting, he said.
Dar's father, two sisters and one brother still live in Lahore and although he has not been able to reach them by phone, he does not think they will leave the region, since they stayed for the previous wars.
He hopes the current tension will not lead to a third war.
"I hope it's just an exchange of hot words and emotions and they can just cool off after a while."