South Asia has been facing a serious threat of war since December last when India massed its troops on its borders with Pakistan. Despite repeated overtures by Pakistan for a return to normalcy and resumption of dialogue to resolve the outstanding disputes between the two countries, India has refused to withdraw its forces and continues with its belligerent posture. India has been blaming Pakistan for the war of liberation that has been going on in Indian occupied-Kashmir and calls the Kashmiri fighters cross-border terrorists from Pakistan. It moved its troops to the border after a terrorist attack on its parliament building which it blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists – a charge which it has failed to substantiate before the international community. Tension between the two countries reached danger level after a suicidal attack on a bus in Jammu in which several Indian troops and their family members were killed. India again promptly accused Pakistan even without a preliminary investigation and started openly threatening war.

Describing the Kashmiri freedom fighters as cross border terrorists from Pakistan is India’s ploy to solicit western support for its armed suppression of the Kashmiri freedom fighters. India has been deploying over 600,000 troops in occupied Kashmir, at the same time denying the existence of any mass movement for self-determination and liberation in Kashmir. India wants the world to believe that the Kashmiris are quite content to live as part of India and the armed struggle that has been going on in the valley is merely cross border terrorism from Pakistan. The Jammu incident provided India an opportunity not only to raise yet another hullabaloo against Pakistan but also to divert the world attention from the Gujarat massacre in which over 2000 Muslims have been killed in two months. India, therefore, blew the Jammu killings out of all proportions and went to the extent of giving naked threats of war against Pakistan declaring its intent to attack the supposed terrorists training camps in Azad Kashmir on the Pakistan side.

Pakistan’s response to the Indian threat has been measured but determined. President Pervez Musharraf announced in an address to the nation that Pakistan wanted peace and it would not be the one to initiate war. However, if war is thrust upon the country, then it would respond with full might. “Pakistan would unleash a storm that will sweep the enemy,” if Indian forces set foot across the Line of Control, he said. Referring to the massing of troops by India, President Musharraf described the situation as dangerous. Addressing the international community President Musharraf said he rejected the Indian allegation of cross border terrorism. Pakistan was doing nothing across the Line of Control in Kashmir and Pakistan will never allow export of terrorism anywhere in the world from within Pakistan, he assured them. He pointed out to the world that Pakistan had already taken steps and initiatives to check the religious extremists since his January 12 speech. According to credible reports the war of liberation inside the Indian-occupied Kashmir is at its peak. There are casualties on both sides – the Indian troops and the Kashmiri fighters – almost every day. India has been trying to hide the real situation from the international community. It has found an easy way out in branding the freedom fighters as terrorists. In the wake of post September 11 situation India wants to win world sympathies by posing as a victim of terrorism from across the border while the actual situation on the ground is that India has unleashed a reign of state terror in occupied Kashmir. It is as bad as Israeli atrocities on the Palestinians. But India tries to put the blame for the killings on Pakistan. It has thrown the smokescreen of terrorism to mislead the world opinion. In order to nail the Indian lies Pakistan has suggested to the world community to increase the number of UN observers on the Pakistani side of Kashmir LoC and also to post such observers on the Indian side too. Pakistan has also asked India to allow human rights NGOs and the international media to freely report about the situation in occupied Kashmir which India has been resisting by putting forward lame excuses.

If the world leaders are really serious about peace in South Asia and to know the truth about Kashmir, then instead of repeating their plea to Pakistan to stop cross border terrorism, they should station UN observers on the Line of Control and also send fact finding missions to Indian occupied Kashmir to report about the situation there.