The Way of Peace Between India and Pakistan
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Vol.10(3), pp. 19-24, July-December 2019 DOI: 10.5897/IJPDS2019.0360 Article Number: 698862A62682 ISSN 2141–6621 Copyright © 2019 International Journal of Peace and Development Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/IJPDS Studies Review Trust relationship: The way of peace between India and Pakistan Anindya Sinha A/179, Central Road, H.B. Town, P.O. Sodepur, North 24 Pgs, Kolkata – 700110, West Bengal, India. Received 18 October, 2019; Accepted 30 December, 2019 This article investigates the root cause of conflict between India and Pakistan and ways to mitigate it. Following ‘Trust Relationship’ theory, both countries can send a number of their citizens to the neighbour country for some useful purposes. But as they come to the other country as a part of Trust Relationship pact, they need not to be harassed by long process of Passport and Visa processing, instead they can identify themselves by an identity card issued by their own country. Their background check would be done by their own country and will not get harassed unnecessarily by the long verification process by the other country. If the two governments trust each other, they will accept the people from other country who are sent by the government bodies of the neighbour country only. If this pact is signed and succeeded, as a direct impact of this, both countries can open some Trust Corridors like ‘Kartarpur Corridor’ through which they can send their citizens to the other country. Key words: Trust relationship, trust corridor, Kartarpur Corridor, belt, road. INTRODUCTION Ever since the partition of the Indian sub-continent more hostility between the two countries could spark a major than 60 years ago as the British dismantled their Indian conflagration in the region and beyond. Many analysts empire, India and Pakistan have been arch rivals and believe that the animosity between the two nuclear- tense neighbours Their animosities have roots in religion capable powers is preventing the region from realizing its and history, and have recently escalated to a dangerous full potential (https://news.bbc.co.uk › south_asia). arms race. Since gaining independence from Britain in In order to find the way of resolution, passport and visa 1947, India and Pakistan have gone to war three times free travel through „Trust Corridors‟ from each country to (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India). There the other country can be taken as pact and as a footstep was also a threat of war again in December 2001, after a through the simple theory of „Trust Relationship‟, which terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament and also after the can open the door of peace movement surely and firmly if terrorist attack on 2008 by Pakistani militants in Mumbai materialized as this will create people to people city. Despite attempts to establish a regular dialogue and exchange, culture exchange and economical uplift resolve outstanding issues, relations remain tense. There through smooth export and import causing win-win is increasing international concern that the continuing situation for both countries. E-mail: [email protected]. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License 20 Int. J. Peace and Dev. Stud. A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONFLICT RELATIONSHIP then India has constantly maintained that Pakistan has BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN been training and supplying weapons to militant separatists while Pakistan insists it only offers them moral When India gained its independence from Britain on 15th support. However, proofs establish the fact that Kashmiri August 1947, the Asian sub-continent was partitioned into extremists were cherished by Pakistan and in Pakistan Hindu-dominated India and the newly created Muslim (https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › India–Pakistan_relations). country of Pakistan. But with partition came massive rioting and population flows as Muslims and Hindus found themselves on the PEACE ATTEMPTS wrong sides of the newly-drawn border. Around fifty thousand people died in extensive violence and In spite of three major wars and numerous armed communal rioting. The death toll was highest in Punjab, conflicts as well as military standoffs, there have been which was split in two. Part of it became an Indian state several attempts to improve the relationship like Shimla and part of it became a Pakistani province. India summit, Agra summit and Lahore summit. There were emerged as a secular nation with a Hindu majority some confidence building measures by both countries. population but with a large Muslim people, while Pakistan For example, 2003 ceasefire agreement and the Delhi- emerged also as a secular nation with Muslim majority Lahore bus service inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister and later becoming an Islamic republic. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his counterpart Parvez The most problematic region was largely Muslim Musharaff. However, 2001 India Parliament attack, the Kashmir. The Pakistanis argue that Kashmir should have 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings and recent Pulwama become part of Pakistan in 1947 because the majority of and Balakot incidents and Indian surgical strikes were its population are Muslims as British divided India and responsible for sustaining tensions between both Pakistan on the basis of religion. They say that numerous countries. During the tenure of Indian PM Narendra Modi United Nations resolutions mean that Kashmiris should and Pakistani PM Nawaz Shariff, bilateral discussions be allowed to vote in a plebiscite to decide between India again stalled after the 2016 Pathankot attack. Further, the or Pakistan. attack on an Indian military base in Indian administered The instrument of accession is a legal document Kashmir sparked a military confrontation across the Line executed by Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of the princely of Control (LOC) with an escalation of tension and state of Jammu and Kashmir, on 26 October 1947. By ceasefire violation by both sides and further militant executing this document under the provisions of attack on Indian security forces. the Indian Independence Act 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh During the turmoil in Kashmir and during attacks and agreed to accede to the Dominion of India. Kashmir‟s counter attacks, Indian military troops killed Hizbul special status within the Indian constitution was commander Burhan Wani (who was also a resident of confirmed in 1950, allowing it more autonomy than other Indian Kashmir) resulted to mass agitation by Kashmiri Indian states. Under the Indian constitution, Jammu and people. Pakistan‟s Imran Khan elected as PM of Pakistan Kashmir is a state, and went to the poll as a state. Delhi following general election there on 2018 and offered says that both countries will "settle their differences by dialogue with India, but India turned down the proposal of peaceful means through bilateral negotiations". India has, peace talks saying that terrorism and peace talks cannot many a times, maintained that Kashmir dispute is a be done simultaneously. bilateral issue and must be settled through bilateral Recently, India's BJP government abolished Article 370 negotiations as per Simla Agreement, 1972 and thus, had from Kashmir which previously provided Kashmir a high denied any third party intervention even that of United degree of autonomy status and made Kasmir a union Nations. territory. This decision of India draws agitation of India and Pakistan have thrice gone to war over the Kashmiris and a new matter of conflict between India and territory, in 1947, 1965 and 1971. In 1971, India and Pakistan and resulted conflict of the two neighbour Pakistan fought again over Bangladeshi independence, countries at every international forum and during this time there was also some conflict (https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Indo- between the two sides in Kashmir. Pakistani_wars_and_conflicts). And in the summer of 1999, the two countries came to brink of another war after Pakistani-backed forces infiltrated Indian-controlled Kashmir. A bitter two-month THE NUCLEAR RACE conflict along the line of control only ended when Pakistani forces withdrew. India first began building its own nuclear weapons in the Presently, roughly one third of the Western part of mid-1960s, after China began nuclear tests. In 1974, Kashmir is administered by Pakistan. Most of the India conducted its first nuclear test-the so called “Smiling remainder is under Indian control. The insurgency in Buddha” in the Rajasthan desert. Indian-administered Kashmir began around 1989. Since A few years later, Pakistan began to develop its own Sinha 21 programme of Nuclear weapons. Both countries were (6) On 5th August 2019, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah also developing and testing both short-range and announced abolition of article 370 from Kashmir and intermediate-range missiles. withdrew its special status as a state. This sparked a In April 1998, Pakistan finally tested its new Ghauri major point of conflict between India and Pakistan as intermediate-range nuclear missile, named after a 12th Pakistan mentioned to extend their moral support to century Muslim warrior who conquered part of India. This Kashmir. test is thought to have prompted India‟s nuclear tests the (7) Other than the mentioned major events, firing and following month. killing of soldiers of both India and Pakistan by both sides On May 11 1998, India announced it had conducted seems to be a daily news at India-Pakistan border of three underground tests at Pokhran in the northern state Kashmir (https://www.aljazeera.com › of Rajasthan. Two days later it announced that another kashmirtheforgottenconflict › 2011/06). two explosions had taken place. India‟s actions were widely condemned by the international community and Pakistan was urged not to retaliate. But on May 28, TRUST RELATIONSHIP: HOW IT CAN WORK Pakistan announced that it had conducted five nuclear BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN OR ANY OTHER tests of its own in south-western Baluchistan.