The Kashmir dispute has become a tool for political gain, not resolution. Pakistan must accept the LoC as the border, prioritise peace, and focus on internal stability over futile conflict
By Zahid Hussain
The Kashmir issue is no longer about a territorial dispute. It became a pretext for certain quarters in both India and Pakistan several years ago to create hate and perpetual tension between the people of the two countries to further their ulterior motives. The line of control (LoC), established in 1948, has been acting since then as the de facto border between the Pakistani-controlled and Indian-controlled parts of Kashmir. Successive governments in Pakistan have kept this issue alive by reiterating that Kashmiris alone must decide the future of Kashmir by way of a plebiscite. That has not transpired in 75 years, despite UN resolutions and several major and minor clashes at the border. The reality is that the status quo serves as the resolution of the dispute.
Three generations of Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC have grown up with the status quo. There is little evidence, if any, that they want the status quo changed in favour of either of the two parties involved. All they desire is to live in peace, security, and prosperity. Pakistan cannot guarantee this to its own citizens, let alone to Kashmiris.
Pakistan’s record in the past seven decades has been anything but exemplary. It could not hold on to the eastern half of the country rightfully given to it at partition without any dispute. After a brutal and shameful war, which Pakistan lost after 90,000 of its soldiers surrendered and became prisoners of war, East Pakistan declared independence and became Bangladesh. Pakistan then became involved in the proxy war between the Soviet Union and the United States in Afghanistan. After 9/11, Pakistan did all the dirty work to help the US overthrow the Taliban government in Afghanistan in exchange for US dollars.
In a recent interview, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, openly acknowledged that Pakistan’s military trained and supported terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan (as if there was any doubt about this). He did qualify his statement later by saying that it was a mistake. Since the U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has been struggling to maintain control and peace at the Pak-Afghan border. Every now and then, skirmishes between infiltrators from Afghanistan and the Pakistani military continue, resulting in the loss of both civilian and military lives on the Pakistani side. If that was not enough, the army has been fighting an endless, brutal war in Baluchistan for years. Instead of listening to and addressing the legitimate grievances of the Baloch people, the army decided to crush them with an iron fist.
The only option for Pakistan is to accept the LoC as the permanent border in exchange for strengthening the Indus River Treaty, resolving other border issues, and both countries
pledging not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs
On the political front, the current civilian government is weak and subservient to the powerful militabilishment as it was imposed on the people after rigged elections in February 2024. More than a year after PML-N formed the government, a huge majority of Pakistanis and many in the international community still call it an illegitimate form-47 government.
Pakistan’s economy has come close to collapse numerous times in the past few decades, and it still faces that risk. It has been relying on regular IMF packages (read bailouts) in exchange for ceding its sovereignty over several key sectors. In a speech, renowned Pakistani economist Dr Kaiser Bengali declared that Pakistan has lost its economic security. Several key institutions are for sale or already under foreign ownership. The task of any government now is to determine how to secure more loans to repay previous loans.
While Pakistan has been continuously sliding towards the doldrums, India has taken steps to further strengthen its claim on Indian-controlled Kashmir. In 2019, the Indian Parliament passed a law effectively abolishing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, which had been conferred via Article 370 of the Indian Constitution since 1952, thereby making the entire Indian Constitution applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
While Pakistan has struggled with political, economic, and security stability, India has made great strides in all three areas. India is now recognised as a major regional power by the international community. It is an important member of the G20 and BRICS bloc. The Indian economy is expanding exponentially, and foreign investment is pouring in. The Indian military does not meddle in civilian affairs and focuses on its professional duties. The US has recognised India’s geo-politico-economic status and has been increasing its defence and trade cooperation with India to counter China’s expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
This is not a rosy picture for Kashmiris or anyone else to consider joining Pakistan. A country that could not keep its own house in order has been giving false hope to its people for decades that somehow it will carve out Indian-controlled Kashmir and make it an integral part of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
The recent tension started after the tragic events of April 22, 2025, at Pahalgam in Indian-held Kashmir when gunmen shot and killed 26 innocent tourists and wounded several others. This barbaric action was condemned by all civilized people around the world. India gained a lot of sympathy and support. Without any fact-checking, the irresponsible Indian media went hysterical and demanded swift and strong military action against Pakistan.
On May 6, India carried out a missile attack on several sites on the Pakistani side. In a tit-for-tat response, Pakistan also took similar action, and this continued for five days until the US mediated a ceasefire between the two countries. It is not clear what exactly the objectives of either side were and whether these were achieved. Both governments, supported by their respective hyped media and public, claimed the ‘win’ as if this were a soccer game. They scored some goals, but we scored more goals, so we won!
In the absence of reliable and independent reporting, I cannot conclude who won; however, I know for sure who lost – the innocent people on both sides who died or were wounded due to the reckless behaviour of both parties. The enormous resources wasted by both countries on this five-day misadventure to score a superficial ‘win’ could have been used on development projects to improve the quality of life for their respective people, which they so desperately need.
Pakistan has a better chance of planting its flag on the moon than over the Legislative Assembly building in Srinagar
The Kashmir dispute is so old and has become irrelevant for the rest of the world that when they hear about it, they wonder, ‘Are they still fighting over it?’ In his first reaction after the tensions built up this time, President Trump made the off-handed remark that India and Pakistan have been fighting for 1,500 years. When things got a little out of hand, he saw an opportunity to intervene and put an end to the fighting. After all, he too desperately needed a ‘win’ on his report card after so far failing to end the Russia/Ukraine war and the Gaza war, he had promised during the election campaign that he would do so within days. Now he is claiming he prevented a nuclear war.
Nothing has changed after this episode. The Kashmir dispute remains as before, the LoC has not changed, and after a period of relative calm, the two sides will return to the same status they held before the Pahalgam tragedy. They will hurl insults at each other and engage in occasional artillery fire along the LoC. The cycle that has repeated for decades will repeat again.
Pakistan, in particular, is once again at a crossroads. It must decide where to go from here—continue the same cycle it has followed for the last seven decades, or take a courageous step toward resolving this dispute. There is no viable diplomatic or military pathway that will lead to the outcome Pakistan desires. If such a pathway existed, it would have been pursued over the years. Any new initiative to resolve Kashmir will be doomed to fail, as the gap between the strength of one country and the weakness of the other is too big. India does not even want to talk about Kashmir. For Pakistan, to borrow a line from Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in the Oval Office, “you don’t have the cards.”
It seems that self-interest groups, such as the ruling class and the militablishment, have a vested interest in keeping the Kashmir dispute alive to gain votes or justify demanding an even larger share of the national budget for defence spending. This will enable them to maintain their privileged status in society at the expense of ordinary people who live in misery.
The only option for Pakistan is to accept the LoC as the permanent border in exchange for strengthening the Indus River Treaty, resolving other border issues, and both countries pledging not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs. This will enable Pakistan to organise its finances, redirect resources from defence to development and public services, and enhance the quality of life for its people.
Frankly, Pakistan has a better chance of planting its flag on the moon than over the Legislative Assembly building in Srinagar. __This is an article of The Friday Times Pakistan on 16.05.2025
