‘Despite crushing defeat, Modi remains unlearned’

This is apropos a letter to the Editor from this writer carried by the newspaper yesterday. I would like to add that since 1947, Pakistan and India have fought five wars—1947, 1965, 1971, 1999, and most recently from May 5 to May 10, 2025.

Each war, regardless of its military outcome, has been a loss for the people: lives lost, families torn apart, economies devastated, and generations scarred. Estimates suggest that the cumulative economic loss from these conflicts runs into hundreds of billions of dollars—conservative estimates place the direct and indirect costs at over $250 billion for India and $100 billion for Pakistan, excluding the immeasurable human toll.

The 2025 war alone, lasting merely five days, is believed to have cost both nations approximately $100 billion in combined economic damage, infrastructure losses, disrupted trade, and lost productivity. The pattern is predictable: every war begins with heightened rhetoric, spirals into military confrontation, and ultimately ends at the negotiating table—often right where it all started. So, why not choose the table first and save countless lives and resources? Why not learn from the lessons of history, where every war has brought more pain than gain, more wounds than wins, and more bitterness than breakthroughs?

Central to this perpetual conflict is the Kashmir issue—a festering wound that has fueled tensions for decades. Until this core dispute is resolved in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, lasting peace will remain elusive. Kashmir is not just a piece of land; it is a symbol of unresolved grievances, a humanitarian crisis, and the spark that has ignited many of the wars between the two countries. While international actors have offered their good offices to mediate a solution, India continues to resist external facilitation, insisting on bilateral dialogue while simultaneously rejecting meaningful negotiations. This stalemate serves no one — least of all the people of Kashmir, who continue to suffer the most.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025