Calling India's bluff

On Wednesday Riyaz Naikoo, commander of a major Kashmiri resistance group, Hizbul Mujahideen, was martyred along with three others in a clash with Indian troops in Awantipora area of Pulwama district. As press reports point out, he had shot into prominence after the 2016 martyrdom of the popular hero of the freedom movement, Burhan Wani, in similar circumstances, triggering a new wave of resistance against Indian occupation. The identity of these men is proof enough, i.e., if one was needed, of the indigenous nature of the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir. Yet desperate to deflect international and domestic attention from its troubles in the disputed region New Delhi has kept pointing the finger at Pakistan, escalating tensions. During recent days, Indian leaders, including defence minister Rajnath Singh and army chief Gen Manoj Naravane, have been accusing Pakistan of running "terrorist launch pads" on this side of the Line of Control (LoC).

Islamabad has replied to the allegation in a responsible manner. The Foreign Office issued a statement on Saturday, formally offering the UN to approach India for obtaining information of the alleged launch pads and share the same with United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), saying it would be welcome to move into any area "without sharing specifics with the Pakistan government to validate Indian claims." This is as good an offer to establish the truth as can be. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again pointed to the dangers inherent in New Delhi's escalatory policy, saying in a Twitter post: "I have been warning the world about India's continuing efforts to find a pretext for a false flag operation targeting Pakistan." Latest baseless allegations by India of 'infiltration' across LoC, he went on, is a continuation of this dangerous agenda, adding that the "fascist policies of the RSS-BJP combine are fraught with serious risks." What those risks entail was briefly on display last year when India bombed a deserted area in Balakot claiming it to be a terrorist training camp and Pakistan swiftly gave a tit for tat response, downing in the process two Indian jets and capturing a pilot. No such misadventure will go unanswered.

Any false flag operation by India, as Pakistan has repeatedly been trying to tell the international community, can easily lead to a full-fledged confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations, which as PM Khan has been emphasizing can lead to unforeseen consequences for the entire region and beyond. Lest things spiral out of control India's influential friends need to instill some sense into the heads of its rulers. The least the international community can and must do to defuse tensions is to help Pakistan expose allegations of hosting "terrorist launch pads" through inspections by UNMOGIP of any area based on information provided by India.