CWS Current Events Blog 2019: Week 7 Pulwama attack: India will "completely isolate" Pakistan

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Week 7 Pulwama attack: India will "completely isolate" Pakistan

Summary:

On February 14, 2019, Adil Dar part of a terrorist group called Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 46 paramilitary police in Pulwama, Indian -administered Kashmir by suicide bombing. Jaish-e-Mohammad mean army of Mohammad and is an Islamic extremist group form Pakistan. They want Kashmir to be part of Pakistan and have been around since 2000. The leader is Masood Azhar, who is well-known in the Middle East.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad flag

The suicide bomber (Adil Dar) was a high school dropout between the ages of 19- 21. He joined the group in 2018 and was ordered to do this task to show hatred against Kashmiri Muslims. Adil drove a bus filled with thousands of explosives into 78 buses carrying Indian paramilitary police. The bombing took place on the Srinagar- Jammu highway which is heavily guarded by Indian police.

Kashmir has been fought over for decades between India and Pakistan. Not until recently that they signed a treaty (Instrument of Accession) stating that Kashmir will split into two parts for both India and Pakistan. Kashmir has also been on the uprise for violent attacks in the last few years due to the attack in 2016 involving the killing of a 22 year old militant by Indian forces.

A map of Kashmir divided into two sections which is bordered by Pakistan, India and China. The map also shows Pulwama, where the attack happened

This latest killing on paramilitary police was the worst terrorist attack in 30 years. In response, India will sanction Pakistan and asked the UN council to list the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Masood Azhar as a terrorist. They will also remove Pakistan from the Most Favored Nation, a trading route between countries. This terrorist attack was the turning point for India to take initiative and "completely isolate" Pakistan.

Reaction:

This terrorist attack was terrible to read about and I think India is doing the right thing by isolating Pakistan. By doing this, it can help stop the rapid growth of Jaish-e-Mohammad and other terrorists group. Isolating Pakistan can also be a bad thing because it can anger the Pakistanis even more and maybe even cause another war between India. But as the attacks keep getting worse, India should take action as soon as possible before there is more bloodshed. I also think India and Pakistan should negotiate the land of Kashmir or recognize the borders of Kashmir to ease tensions. Overall, I think India needs to take initiative immediately and help prevent more attacks from Jaish-e-mohammad and other terrorist groups.

Connection:

This terrorist attack and the fighting for more land can relate to Nationalism from Modern World History. Jaish-e-Mohammad is on the uprising to take over Pakistan and Kashmir. This is an example of Nationalism because they don't necessarily want freedom, but they want to be heard and want to be recognized as a group of extremists who lead by fear. The conflict of India and Pakistan also relates to our unit about the Middle East. Pakistan is made up of mostly Muslims (Islam), which is the same as Kashmir. But India holds all different types of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and also Islam. There is a fight among the religions and the land of Pakistan and India which is similar to the main conflict of the Middle East. Overall, the terrorist attack in Pulwama is an example of both Nationalism and the conflicts within the Middle East.

Discussion Questions:

Is India's reaction to the Pakistani terrorist attack reasonable?
Can there be a compromise for the land of Kashmir to benefit both India and Pakistan?
What else can India do to help stop more attacks from Jaish-e-Mohammad?

Additional sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/sep/08/kashmir.india

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/jem.htm

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pulwama-attack-2019-everything-about-jammu-and-kashmir-terror-attack-on-crpf-by-terrorist-adil-ahmed-dar-jaish-e-mohammad-1457530-2019-02-16

26 comments:

AnonymousMarch 2, 2019 at 6:05 PM
Like we talked about in class regarding the putting up of walls and borders, people tend to do this out of fear and ignorance. However, since this putting up of borders regards a potential compromise, I think it is reasonable. Giving both Pakistan and India part of Kashmir is a good idea, especially since the land is relatively equally split. This treaty could potentially prevent more acts of terrorism, since Kashmir is now split in two. This also relates to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict- however Palestinians are not willing to accept the amount of land Israel is willing to give in exchange for peace. This, however, does not seem to be the issue between India and Pakistan, regarding Kashmir. Therefore, this compromise could be beneficial for both nations.
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AnonymousMarch 3, 2019 at 12:36 PM
Indias response to the attacks are very reasonable. They only want to isolate Pakistan in order to make India a safer place which is understandable. Also the way that India proposes to split the land of Kashmir is pretty even. The issue over the land of Kashmir seems to be similar to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The issue is probably more complex than it appears to be, in the same way that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is when you consider ethnicity distribution, farm land, population distribution etc. In an article by BBC regarding why the two countries are fighting over Kashmir, it states that "Many people in the territory do not want it to be governed by India, preferring instead either independence or union with Pakistan." This illustrates some of the tensions in this area and how there isn't ever one solution that will make everybody happy. The biggest thing that India could do to prevent further attacks is establish borders with Pakistan. Although this is not easy, it worked for Israel and could probably work for India.

https://www.bbc.com/news/10537286
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AnonymousMarch 3, 2019 at 8:40 PM
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AnonymousMarch 3, 2019 at 8:54 PM
I think that it is reasonable for India to isolate Pakistan to some extent. I believe that it's right for India to react in that way. After being attacked from that suicided bomber, India acted in a way to keep their citizens safe from terrorist.India should not completely isolate Pakistan, they should allow planes and some trucks to get through for trade and economy purposes However, India should find a way to open their borders again so that Pakistan and India relations don't get worse.. I think that there can be a compromise for the land. First, "India has been accused of using brutal tactics to put down protests in Kashmir," they should use better tactics otherwise there could be more dangerous protests. Both countries should have half of the land and find a way to split the land evenly. A way for India to stop more attacks from jaish-e-mohammad is to talk with the Palestinian government to stop them together. If both countries work together they could get rid of the terrorist group.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47249133
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2019 at 5:58 PM
There have been a lot of updates on this event since February 14, the date when the suicide bombing took place. On February 26, 12 days after the bombing, Indian planes flew over Pakistan and claimed to have bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp. A little later, Pakistan crossed the line of control and an Indian pilot was captured. The pilot was released on March 1st as a way for Pakistan to ease tensions. The release was branded as a peace offering. However, later on March 1st and 2nd 8 people were killed in shelling attacks across the line of control. These new developments have not helped to decrease tensions between two of the nine nuclear powers. Another wrinkle is that elections for prime minister in India are this spring. This has led some to speculate that the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, could react to the crisis in a way that helps his reelection campaign. This could hinder the peace process. U.S. presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush both saw huge positive increases in approval ratings after the Gulf War and War on Terror, respectively. This could incentivize PM Modi to take swift and decisive military action so they can take power in the Kashmir hoping to boost his reelection hopes. One of the main actions that India has said they might take to punish Pakistan for the attack has been to threaten to break a 1960 treaty over the Indus River that was created in tandem with the World Bank. Right now the Indus River supplies water for over 90% of the people in Pakistan making this a serious threat from India. This issue strongly resembles the situation is the Middle East right now. Neither country wants to give up land or make concessions to the other side. Unfortunately, the land split solutions don't seem to be efficient. One of the more fair solutions is making the Kashmir Valley in the current Indian section independent. Unfortunately, this region probably won't be able to support itself. I believe the most practical solution involves negotiations to keep current borders. Currently, India has a strong bargaining position with the terrorist attack damaging them. They could offer financial aid or trade deals to Pakistan to make peace in Pakistan. Personally, I believe the solution needs to take place diplomatically. After 9/11 when President Bush launched the War on Terror which is still going on today in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and more. Optimally, India should impose sanctions but immediately enter in negotiations to lift the sanctions and solve Kashmir disputes for the long-term.
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2019 at 6:00 PM
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2019 at 7:33 PM
India does have the right to exercise some control over Pakistan, and their actions have been reasonable so far. Although there is little evidence regarding the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Pakistani relationship, many members of the terrorist group hail from Pakistan or Kashmir. The India and Pakistan relations are very strained at the moment, especially in the region of Kashmir. Less than a week after the largest terrorist bombing in Kashmir, 9 others were killed in a gunfight. 3 victims are said to be members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group, and other casualties included a civilian and members of the Indian military. The region has been highly disputed since 1947, and tensions are as high now as they have ever been. In the past, China has stepped in to avoid India from isolating Pakistan, although China has not made a move in either direction so far at this point. India should have the ability to defend itself and help prevent terrorist attacks in the future against themselves and their civilians. I believe that the partition plan currently in place would help alleviate some of the tensions in the region, although Pakistan and Indian relations might not fully recover for some time, or at least until the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group is stopped. I think that these countries should work together take down the terrorist group, which will improve their relations and help the security of both nations as they won't have to worry about as many outside forces at work within their countries.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47275072
https://www.bbc.com/news/10537286
https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/30/asia/kashmir-explainer/index.html
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AnonymousMarch 5, 2019 at 4:38 PM
I find this news very interesting and quite alarming on various degrees. By doing so outside research, I have found that this dispute is actually very old and has been going on for a long time now. Therefore, it's interesting that India has decided at this time to isolate Pakistan. I do agree that it is reasonable, though, given the circumstances. According to https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/30/asia/kashmir-explainer/index.html?no-st=1551832101, at one point, "both countries agreed to a plebiscite in principle, to allow Kashmiris to decides their own future, but it has never been held because it was predicated on the withdrawal of all military forces from the region, which has not happened." Honestly, I think that this plebiscite (vote by people to a proposal) should take place. I think the Kashmiris should have a say for the future of their land.
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AnonymousMarch 5, 2019 at 8:19 PM
I think that India’s reaction to Pakistani is reasonable. But one thing that is a little questionable is that, though this terrorist group is from Pakistan, it doesn’t mean that the country is connected to them. So I think that as long as they can prove that the country is connected to the terrorist group that would help them a lot. But I do believe that the steps that they took to prevent it from happening are good and aren’t that harsh. It is a good thing that the steps that they are taking towards Pakistan are not violent. I think that removing Pakistan from the Most Favored Nation and trying to “isolate” Pakistan are good steps to take. These steps are not violent and are more consequences for Pakistans actions. They are doing this as a warning to Pakistan to have Pakistan try and prevent this. I think that the plan that India made for Kashmir is very reasonable as the land is pretty fairly split. I think that India is doing its best from stopping attacks from Jaish-e-Mohammad, as the steps that they are taking are not violent and warn Pakistan about the consequences of them not doing anything to prevent these attacks.
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AnonymousMarch 5, 2019 at 8:30 PM
I think India's response to the terrorist attack by the Jaish-e-Mohammad extremist group is justifiable. Isolating Pakistan is very bold move by the Indian government in New Delhi however I think it's very strategic to help slow down the growth of other extremists organizations in Pakistan from gaining more power. However both sides have been fighting over control over this territory since 1947 and it seems like either side is willing to give up their land overnight. I agree with Amanda's comment that the best way to resolve this conflict is for the Kashmiris to decide their own future by having a vote of the people. India is already rallying international support from the U.S., UK, and France to have the UN security council blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Azhar Masood which Indias been previously fighting for the decision to have him blacklisted. (https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/india-pakistan-tensions-won-war-perceptions-190304100556184.html) If India can continuing to rally support againist Azhar Masood it can help limit the powers of Jaish-e-Mohammad or shut them down completely.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 1:08 PM
I think India’s reaction to isolate Pakistan in order to move towards peace is a smart move as this would place pressure on the Pakistani government to crackdown on terrorists in their own country which would hypothetically reduce attacks in India. But since India has a big advantage on the bargaining table, more violence might occur because of the injustice some Pakistani people might feel. If you go back and read the history of the Kashmir conflict, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1399992/A-brief-history-of-the-Kashmir-conflict.html, the area was eventually incorporated into the Indian Union through a decision made by the UN. But, the Pakistani people ignored this decision and did not remove their troops from the area. Technically, just going by history, this area should belong to India, but as we know from history, this does not mean anything. Pakistan should be punished for their action, in terms of land or resources, but I think the most recent division should be followed, unless it is proved by an investigation that the Pakistani government had a hand in the attack. Attacks like these take some planning if not much, so to aid in the prevention of such attacks, India could possibly invest in more advance security systems that could monitor and alert the government of such plans.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 4:57 PM
I (being an Indian) believe that the attacks were not reasonable because if India just keeps punishing Pakistan that would only drive the hate between the two countries. If these outbursts of terrorism need to stop there needs to be a way of getting peace between the two countries. The main reason for the fight for Kashmir is due to religious conflicts between Hindus and Muslims and for there to be a compromise for Kashmir the two religions would have to put their differences aside in order to be able to either share the land or one country has to be the bigger person and let the other country own that land. The only way India would be able to stop these attacks is if they can have a better standing with Pakistan. That itself would be a really hard thing to do they would have to do but if it's not done there will always be little fights between the countries.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 6:22 PM
What's really upsetting is that a while ago, these countries weren't just peaceful with each other but were ONE country. Since then there have been many attacks from both sides and conspiracy theories as to who had the hand behind it. Since the split, the land of Kashmir has been a topic of dispute. I get where India was coming from, trying to protects its people by isolating Pakistan but until the major dispute isn't solved, such attacks will keep happening. Since the people of Kashmir are the ones who have to live there they should have a say. Recent polls have shown that the inhabitants of Kashmir are sick of the fighting and would like independence. Although doing so could put them at a risk, since they’re such a small country and will be exposed to getting attacked. Originally however, the king of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh opted to join India. ((http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/25/india.kashmir.explainer/index.html) . Since then the conflict has evolved and neither sides want to give up, in my opinion the land should be divided in two between the countries. People who wish to be a part of India can migrate to the eastern portion and people who wish to live in Pakistan and migrate to the western portion. Ultimately till this dispute isn't dissolved the attacks won't be gone.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 9:06 PM
I believe that India's reaction is viable because they took the right steps to deal with the crisis. Overreaction could have escalated the situation more than it already has. I also think that because of the actions by India, communicating with the UN to resolve the situation, it may be harder to compromise over the land of Kashmir. Compromise over the land however is not impossible, there is already a treaty to separate the land of Kashmir. I think the best thing India can do to prevent anymore attacks by Jaish-e-Mohammad is not to provoke more attacks, harsher environment in the area can only persuade Pakistani people how bad the Indian people are. The best course of action is to set up military forces in Kashmir but only as security.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 9:41 PM
India's response to the terrorist attack is insanely out of line. Pakistan as a country didn't attack India, it was Jaish-e-Mohammad, which isn't a part of Pakistan. For India to blatantly disregard national sovereignty is way out of bounds, especially onto a country with nuclear potential. India attacking Pakistan just furthers the aggression each country has for the other. There can be a comprimise with India and Pakistan. Currently there is proposition for 1/3 of Kashmir to go to Pakistan,and the other 2/3 to go to India. Pakistan is in need of a source of water, and if the 1/3 of land they get is full of water, then they would most likely be happy with the outcome. India getting a resolution with Pakistan, would be the best course of action for India to take, seeing as this would help prevent a huge ware, but at the same time end these terrorist attacks.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 9:43 PM
I think it will be very difficult for India and Pakistan to come to a compromise with Kashmir because this is not just an issue between Pakistan and India, but also the people of Kashmir that are predominantly Muslim. Because the partition of India in 1947 agreed upon the establishment of Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, many people residing in India administered Kashmir and Jammu do not want to be governed by India and would rather unite with Pakistan or become independent. I think it will get increasingly difficult for India to keep on governing Kashmir with the violence taking place in both the Indian army’s side and on the people’s side especially with more terrorist activity occurring in these areas, but I also think that India would be unwilling to let Kashmir unite with Pakistan, and both Pakistan and India would not want these series of events to lead to the independence of Kashmir which would bring problems of its own. It’s a very difficult issue where compromise is not really an option, in my opinion. I think that much more discussions need to take place between the countries and territories mentioned above for this issue to be resolved.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 10:22 PM
I believe that India’s reaction to the Pakistani terrorist attack is reasonable. This conflict has been going on for over 70 years now, and it seems that they’re nowhere near peace. I believe their reaction is justified because these terrorist attacks need to be stopped, and their plan could potentially help lessen these attacks. But, I think it might be a good idea to give the Kashmiris more say. If not, more potential problems could arise. (https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/30/asia/kashmir-explainer/index.html?no-st=1551832101)
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 10:57 PM
India’s response to the Pakistan suicide bombings is reasonable. I get why India would want to isolate Pakistan to protect their country. That said, India needs to be careful not to escalate the situation or anger Pakistan into sending more bombers. Unfortunately, since the suicide bombing that prompted the isolation of Pakistan, India hasn’t exactly been trying to make peace. Just a week ago, India conducted a pre-emptive air strike against Jaish-e-Mohammed. If India continues to aggravate Pakistan, a war could break out, or at the very least tensions would drastically increase. The current bad relations between Pakistan and India are very directly located in the fact that Jaish-e-Mohammed is located on the Pakistani territory. Jaish-e-Mohammed is the terrorist group said to be responsible for the suicide bombing. I think that India and Pakistan should work out an agreement in which Pakistan agrees to take action against Jaish-e-Mohammed, as well as agreeing to split up the Kashmir region between the two countries. If not, the relations between Pakistan and India could worsen, leading to another Cold War like war or even another crisis similar to the one present in Israel and Palestine currently.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/pakistan-military-accuses-india-violating-airspace-190226040437318.html
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 11:22 PM
I think India's reaction to the Pakistani terrorist attack is reasonable because by isolating Pakistan, it will make India a safer place for the people. However since India's relationship with Pakistan is very strained, their reaction may cause Pakistan to feel even more hatred towards them. This fight has lasted many years and neither side is willing to back down which may cause a problem for a compromise. Pakistan itself did not attack India, it was Jaish-e-Mohammad so I think Pakistan should't be the one to blame. I think both sides need to stop the fighting and actually look at each others views and see where they can agree on something. If both sides can come up with a compromise, both countries will live a much happier and safe life.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2019 at 11:22 PM
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AnonymousMarch 10, 2019 at 5:20 PM
I believe India's response to the terrorist attack is most certainly reasonable, as these intentions are only pertaining to the safety of their country. And although this alone cannot entirely stop attacks form Jaish-e-Mohammed, it can reduce the amount of future attacks from this terrorist group and others as well. Furthermore, aside from the many disputes between the two nations, I think there is still a possibility of compromise; in that the land of Kashmir can be dived, in hopes satisfying both parties.
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FaizMarch 11, 2019 at 12:09 PM
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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Week 7 Pulwama attack: India will "completely isolate" Pakistan

26 comments: