As Pakistan has freed an Indian fighter pilot captured after his plane was shot down in Azad Kashmir it was widely hailed as a positive move to de-escalate rising tension between two nuclear nations.
As in a statement Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said the pilot’s release was a “peace gesture” to India this gesture was scorned by the Indian media and ultra-Hindu nationalists who have been adding fuel to fire and trying to escalate tensions for both nations. They claimed Pakistan PM released the pilot under international pressure. Despite clearly Imran khan said in the Pakistan national assembly that he acted without any pressure and reiterated that the release of Indian pilot was a peace gesture from Pakistan towards India.
India and Pakistan have fought many wars and always remain on the brink of a catastrophe due to shortsighted and myopic vision of leaders here. As we all know United Nations has one of the worlds oldest peace keeping missions stationed along the Line of Control in Kashmir to keep the warring nations of India and Pakistan at bay but the mission has always failed to make any difference on ground.
Despite many agreements between two countries i.e., Karachi agreement in 1949, Tashkent agreement in 1966, Shimla agreement in 1972, Lahore agreement in 1999, Agra deceleration in 2001 two sides have failed to put an end to their hostility and continue to pursue a path of destruction not only putting their own impoverished populations at peril but also jeopardising the global peace.
On the contrary we have a neighbour which has been under Western sanctions from decades and is prospering fast and now declared as an oasis of peace in the area of turmoil and that is Iran.
Iran by its hard and soft power has managed to carve out an influence which goes beyond its borders. It now virtually controls four major Arab capitals like Baghdad, Sanaa, Beirut and Damascus. But it is ironic that Pakistan and India both of which have cordial relations with it never approach Tehran for brokering peace in the region. I believe e its only Iran which can be trusted as an honest broker as it has no sister objectives like US or any other global power. That has become an international peace maker in the west Asia region. Iran that has good Iranians went to Iraq and brought about change on ground. By helping stabilise a country which invaded and fought it for eight long years is an ample proof its commitment of being a sincere neighbour.
Iran which has time and again expressed solidarity with Kashmiri people as its Supreme Leader is perhaps the only highest dignitary from any country which has visited Kashmir in recent memory is a testament to the fact that Iran values Kashmir as it does India and Pakistan. Tehran can rightly be a good mediator to bring lasting peace between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
Shamin Hussaini
Khomeini Chowk, Bemina
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