Prompt response

Even when coronavirus seems to have humbled mighty powers such as the US and China, the Indian establishment's jingoistic remains untamed. On Thursday, it launched a surveillance drone into Azad Jammu & Kashmir, only to be shot down promptly. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the drone had crossed 600 meters over the Line of Control. Seemingly, the Indian military high command hasn't learnt any lesson from such misadventures in the past. In March last year, Pakistan army had shot down India's spying drone in Rakhchikri sector. A month earlier, in February 2019, New Delhi had lost two jets as one of its pilots was captured in the aftermath of its intrusion in Balakot. India uses the spying drones for aerial photography of Pakistani posts along the LoC as part of its intelligence-gathering operations for target selection before carrying out cross-border shelling. "This blatant act was aggressively responded to by the Pakistan Army troops," the ISPR said in a brief statement. The statement described such unwarranted acts by Indian Army as a "clear violation of established norms, and existing Air Agreement between the two countries and reflect Indian Army's consistent disregard to ceasefire Understanding of 2003." That a violence-free LoC is in Pakistan's abiding interest is a fact. When attacked Islamabad's response is always swift and strong. But to keep it hot is part of India's policy; it helps it divert the world attention away from its brutal occupation - now greatly accentuated in the wake of nine-month-old security lockdown and communications blackout - of occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Since the beginning of this year, as killer coronavirus becomes the black-hole on planet earth sucking in the world attention, India finds LoC violations a cost-effective bargain. According to ISPR chief Major-General Babar Iftikhar, India has committed as many as 705 ceasefire violations since the beginning of this year - the period the world wrestled with the coronavirus pandemic.

The other benefit India seems to have reaped from coronavirus is its plan to use it as weapon of choice against minorities, particularly Muslims. While Muslims are the prime target for the first part the non-Muslim minorities are for the second part. In a letter to chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission, health secretary Dr Zafarul Islam Khan warned against showing a separate column "Maraz Masjid". He pointed out this thoughtless classification is leading to Muslims being attacked across the country. He also pointed out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had taken "cognizance of the phenomenon and stated that countries should not profile Covid-19 cases in terms of religion or any other criteria".

Calls are also being made for Muslims' social boycott. The supposed link of coronavirus to China is being exploited against men and women belonging to the northeastern states close to Myanmar and China. And as for Christians, 27 incidents of violence were committed against them in 11 states in March alone. How ironic it is that India expects the world to respect its geostrategic position and overlook its devilish attitude towards its minorities. And in South Asia it pretends to be its natural leader, a position not acceptable to Pakistan. Islamabad wants to be part of South Asia's collective fight against the killer virus. Following a telephonic conversion between foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood and Saarc secretary general Esala Weerakoon, Pakistan pledged $3 million towards the Saarc Covid-19 emergency fund on Thursday. India is, therefore, required to see the bigger picture. These challenging times demand India help promote peace, global and regional, as is the case in rest of the world. Guns should be directed not at people but at coronavirus.