India-Pakistan conflict
The Asahi Shimbun Tokyo
Japan must join the drive to avoid war at all cost. Claims to Kashmir and other issues cannot be resolved by military might. India and Pakistan ought to know that after three wars.
Relations between India and Pakistan have again deteriorated over Kashmir, the region between the two countries in dispute since independence from Britain. Nearly one million troops are massed along the border, with daily exchanges of fire in some areas.
When India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the area, he told Indian soldiers to prepare for the moment of truth. Pakistan's President Perez Musharraf responded by saying Pakistan did not want a war, but was prepared for one. Pakistan then began testing missiles that can deliver a nuclear payload.
India and Pakistan effectively became nuclear powers when they conducted nuclear tests in turn in 1998. The leaders speak as if they were on the eve of war. This is very troubling.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated since the Indian Parliament was attacked last December by apparent Islamic extremist Kashmir secessionists. After the attack, Pakistan outlawed five Islamic radical organizations and said it would stop direct aid for advocates of Kasmir's separation from India. It was a momentous decision for Pakistan, which has hardly concealed its support for the Kashmir separatist movement, and it seemed to ease the tension with India.
In mid-May, however, Islamic hotheads went on the rampage again within the Indian side of the Line of Control, and 34 Indian soldiers and their relatives were killed. Tension flared anew among the Indians, who thought the situation had not been improved at all.
Claims to Kashmir and other issues cannot be resolved by military might. India and Pakistan ought to know that after three wars. Their leaders must avoid war by all means, keeping the way open for dialogue and negotiations.
During his visit to Russia, U.S. President George W. Bush expressed concern over the worsening situation in the Indian subcontinent. Russia's President Vladimir Putin called on the leaders of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. We hope the United States and Russia, with their close ties to India and Pakistan, will strive to mediate between them.
The United States especially needs stability in the region, because its fight against terrorists in Afghanistan is staged from Pakistan's military bases. It also seeks to improve relations with India, as seen in joint military maneuvers, and hopes to calm tensions between India and Pakistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been on the phone trying to sway the leaders. Richard Armitage, his deputy, intends to attempt mediation on the ground, and Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to visit India and Pakistan.
Japan, having good relations with both India and Pakistan, must use every possible channel to encourage a dialogue between them.
If India and Pakistan come to blows militarily, the conflict could escalate into nuclear war. The question being asked of the international community now is how much influence it can exercise in preventing such a catastrophe.