Reports in Pakistani media say that there has been a ‘de-escalation’ in the tension between the two South Asian neighbours but Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared that security risk  with India still persist

 
Pakistan is keeping tension with India alive with gusto in the hope that the ‘international community’, euphemism for the US, intercedes in the sub-continental dispute over Kashmir. Its strenuous efforts to internationalize the Kashmir dispute have not been successful so far; nor is the world taking much interest in Pakistan’s cry over India’s aerial bombing of the terrorist facility deep inside its territory.
Successive regimes in Islamabad and their real masters at the GHQ Shura in Rawalpindi had hoped to bring about a third a party intervention in Kashmir. Success eluded them. The present puppet dispensation of Imran Khan however thinks that luck is in its favour. And hopes to have a trade off with the Americans, who are seeking Pakistani help in getting out of Afghanistan. Will they succeed certainly after the latest Pompeo- speak, which is not exactly charitable towards Pakistan. The Secretary of State has given two clear,  unambiguous signals. One India is a valuable ally, and therefore it should be more closely involved in Afghanistan. Two the US concerned not merely about Pakistan’s aid to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network but also about the spectre of proliferation of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

The unending Kashmir lament of Pakistani leadership does help them in keeping their people’s attention riveted on Indian ‘threat’ even when they carry on their sham peace diplomacy through Washington and Beijing to keep India off their back. Their faux attempt gives them a moral high ground—in their own opinion.

From the days of Obama presidency, Pakistan has been resenting the growing India-US ties. It does not see much change even under an unpredictable maverick, Donald Trump in the White House. Yet, Prime Minister Imran Khan and his foreign minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi have been bending on their knees to befriend the Americans with an eye on the IMF dole. Their unending Kashmir lament does help them in keeping their people’s attention riveted on Indian ‘threat’ even when they carry on their sham peace diplomacy through Washington and Beijing to keep India off their back. Their faux attempt gives them a moral high ground—in their own opinion.
Reports in Pakistani media say that there has been a ‘de-escalation’ in the tension between the two South Asian neighbours even as Prime Minister Imran Khan declared that security risk persists with India. Talking to a group of select editors in Islamabad on Thursday, 21 Mar 2019, he said the Modi government wanted to win the election based on its politics of hatred against Pakistan. “The armed forces of the country are ever ready and will give a befitting response in case of any military aggression.”
This jingoism is somewhat amusing to read. India may not be planning an air raid on Pakistani targets once again but the civilian administration in Pakistan is repeating on a daily basis their Generals’ ‘six-time’ threat to India—raining on India ‘six time’ more missiles than Indian missiles. That kind of chest thumping has by now become old hat. The muddle-headed military top brass in Rawalpindi is pitifully unaware of the devastating potentials of nuclear missile attacks, well, on both sides.
These days Pakistan’s airspace has been closed to traffic as the PAF jets scour the air looking for enemy flights even when the IAF’s airstrikes on JeM’s Balakot base was one- off affair on 26 February. Even that was prompted by an attack on Indian paramilitary forces in early Feb. But Pakistan Army and Airforce are still in battle gear. Civilian traffic on the highways is banned to facilitate takeoff and landing of PAF jets even when there is no sign of a war.
Of course, it is an ecstatic moment in Pakistan when an IAF jet is brought down; nay, it becomes a ‘historic’ moment and a ‘revenge’ for the humiliation Pakistan had to suffer in 1971 when 93000 of its forces surrendered to an Indian General at the end of Bangladesh war. It is therefore a moment of ‘national pride’ in Pakistan when an Indian toy drone or an Indian jet fighter is brought down. The Pakistanis believe it is a sign that they are invincible.
The closure of airspace serves two purposes for Pak leadership. One it keeps the anti-India mood at a feverish pitch and helps the nearly bankrupt and a semi-pariah country forget its woes. Two it gives a sadistic pleasure that Pakistan has imposed heavy costs on India since Indian civilian flights have to fly longer on their westward journey just to avoid the banned Pakistani airspace. On its part, Indian government has not retaliated in kind. And the Pakistani planes continue to overfly India.
So much so the Pakistani talk of ‘de-escalation’ sounds irrelevant. More so since Indian diplomatic staff in Islamabad is being increasingly harassed by Pakistani secret service agents. Indian protests have resulted in more instances of harassment. The Pakistani foreign office on the other hand has made it a habit to frequently summon the Indian envoy on one pretext or another.
India has not taken any action in retaliation. That would be assumed from the silence of the Pakistanis about ‘harassment’ of their diplomats in India. Usually, the Pakistanis would not have lost any opportunity to broadcast loudly instances of real or imaginary ‘harassment’ of their staff in Delhi. The restraint shown by India obviously shows Pakistan in poor light.

– by Malladi Rama Rao and Atul Cowshish