India recently canceled a proposed meeting between Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which was set to take place on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly debate later this month.
New Delhi's move was sharply criticized by Islamabad, which accuses Indian authorities of sabotaging regional peace.
The Indian foreign ministry said Friday it cancelled the talks following the "latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities" in Kashmir, and the release of a series of Pakistani postage stamps "glorifying a terrorist and terrorism."
Earlier this week, Kashmiri militants reportedly killed a border guard and mutilated his body in the India-administered Kashmir. On Friday, three policemen were then found dead after being abducted in the same area.
Following these incidents, Indian authorities blamed Pakistan's new premier Imran Khan for harboring an "evil agenda" and showing his "true face."
Reacting to New Delhi's move, Khan hit back at India on Twitter, calling it "arrogant."
"Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue," he wrote. "However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture."
Kashmir remains a bone of contention
Political commentators and social media users in Indian and Pakistan are now debating who is to blame for the cancellation of the planned talks.
While some Pakistanis argue India disrespected diplomatic protocol by pulling the plug on a meeting it had previously agreed to, Indians say that Pakistani Prime Minister Khan is backing terrorists.
New Delhi says it canceled the talks following the July release of Pakistani postage stamps commemorating Burhan Wani, a Kashmiri militant shot dead by Indian troops in 2016. Analysts say it was only after the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency ran a story on Wani's stamps that New Delhi decided to cancel the proposed meeting.
Since 1989, Muslim insurgents have been fighting Indian forces in India-administered Kashmir — a region of 12 million people, about 70 percent of whom are Muslim. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full, but rule in part.
Read more: The Islamization of Kashmir's separatist movement
Kashmir remains a major bone of contention between the two South Asian nuclear-armed states. Analysts and activists also said that Pakistan cannot win India's trust on peace while glorifying Kashmiri militants.
But Shireen Mazari, Pakistan's minister for human rights, says India was never interested in forging peaceful ties with her country.
On Saturday, Indian media quoted army chief Bipin Rawat calling for "stern action to avenge the barbarism that terrorists and the Pakistan Army have been carrying out."
In response Pakistan's military spokesman said his country was "ready for war."
"We are a nuclear nation and we are ready for war but in the interest of the people of Pakistan and the neighbors and the region we want to walk the path of peace," Major General Asif Ghafoor told local media.
"The statement from the Indian army chief is irresponsible," he added.
Read more: What is Pakistan's militancy issue all about?
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
An unprecedented danger?
On February 27, Pakistan's military said that it had shot down two Indian fighter jets over disputed Kashmir. A Pakistani military spokesman said the jets were shot down after they'd entered Pakistani airspace. It is the first time in history that two nuclear-armed powers have conducted air strikes against each other.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
India drops bombs inside Pakistan
The Pakistani military has released this image to show that Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistani territory for the first time since the countries went to war in 1971. India said the air strike was in response to a recent suicide attack on Indian troops based in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan said there were no casualties and that its airforce repelled India's aircraft.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
No military solution
Some Indian civil society members believe New Delhi cannot exonerate itself from responsibility by accusing Islamabad of creating unrest in the Kashmir valley. A number of rights organizations demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government reduce the number of troops in Kashmir and let the people decide their fate.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
No end to the violence
On February 14, at least 41 Indian paramilitary police were killed in a suicide bombing near the capital of India-administered Kashmir. The Pakistan-based Jihadi group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility. The attack, the worst on Indian troops since the insurgency in Kashmir began in 1989, spiked tensions and triggered fears of an armed confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
A bitter conflict
Since 1989, Muslim insurgents have been fighting Indian forces in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir - a region of 12 million people, about 70 percent of whom are Muslim. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
India strikes down a militant rebellion
In October 2016, the Indian military has launched an offensive against armed rebels in Kashmir, surrounding at least 20 villages in Shopian district. New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the militants, who cross over the Pakistani-Indian "Line of Control" and launch attacks on India's paramilitary forces.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
Death of a Kashmiri separatist
The security situation in the Indian part of Kashmir deteriorated after the killing of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July 2016. Protests against Indian rule and clashes between separatists and soldiers have claimed hundreds of lives since then.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
The Uri attack
In September 2016, Islamist militants killed at least 17 Indian soldiers and wounded 30 in India-administered Kashmir. The Indian army said the rebels had infiltrated the Indian part of Kashmir from Pakistan, with initial investigations suggesting that the militants belonged to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group, which has been active in Kashmir for over a decade.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
Rights violations
Indian authorities banned a number of social media websites in Kashmir after video clips showing troops committing grave human rights violations went viral on the Internet. One such video that showed a Kashmiri protester tied to an Indian army jeep - apparently as a human shield - generated outrage on social media.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
Demilitarization of Kashmir
Those in favor of an independent Kashmir want Pakistan and India to step aside and let the Kashmiri people decide their future. "It is time India and Pakistan announce the timetable for withdrawal of their forces from the portions they control and hold an internationally supervised referendum," Toqeer Gilani, the president of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in Pakistani Kashmir, told DW.
-
India-Pakistan rivalry: Kashmiris pay a high price
No chance for secession
But most Kashmir observers don't see it happening in the near future. They say that while the Indian strategy to deal strictly with militants and separatists in Kashmir has partly worked out, sooner or later New Delhi will have to find a political solution to the crisis. Secession, they say, does not stand a chance.
Author: Shamil Shams
Imran Khan, the 'army puppet'
Some Indian and Pakistani analysts say Khan's twitter response to the cancellation of the foreign ministers' meeting was "uncalled for" and "undiplomatic."
Commentators also picked on Khan's dig at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that Khan has no right to criticize the Indian premier when he himself is a "powerless" leader, and a "puppet" in the hands of his country's military generals.
Liberal analysts in Pakistan accuse their military of rigging the July 25 general election in Khan's favor in order to keep former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif our of power. Experts say Sharif became a threat to his generals due to his moves to improve ties with New Delhi.
Read more: Sharif's release spells trouble for Pakistani PM Khan
Pakistan's military establishment considers India to be the biggest threat to the country's security.
Khan has largely supported the military's narrative on India and Afghanistan, a country where New Delhi has increased its clout in the past decade.
Domestic politics
Some are also of the view that Khan, a populist politician who came to power to bring about a radical change to governance, has not lived up to expectations since taking charge as prime minister last month. War rhetoric against India is a tried and tested formula to distract the public, they say.
The same could be applied to Indian Prime Minister Modi, who seeks to be re-elected next year.
Many observers say Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ratcheting up anti-Pakistan sentiment to conceal its inadequate economic performance.
Controversy over a jet deal with France has also piled pressure on Modi.
On Saturday, India's opposition accused Modi of corruption over the 2016 Rafale jet deal. The charge comes after French ex-President Francois Hollande said Modi asked Paris to pick an Indian billionaire as partner in the deal.
Read more: Arundhati Roy: 'India is colonizing itself'
Time to move forward
Peace activists in India and Pakistan are urging their governments to restart peace talks and bury the hatchet. They say the dispute over Kashmir and terrorism has held back the progress of the two countries for decades.
While former Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Modi, were largely on the same page over the economic benefits of an Indian-Pakistani friendship, Khan has yet to come out with a comprehensive plan on the issue.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Affluent upbringing
Imran Khan was born in Lahore in 1952, the son of a civil engineer. Khan grew up with his four sisters in a relatively affluent part of the city. He received a privileged education, first in his hometown and then in Worcester, England. It was there that Khan's love and talent for the game of cricket became evident. In 1972, he enrolled at Oxford University to study politics and economics.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Pakistan cricket's blue-eyed boy
Khan played cricket throughout his time in England and after returning to his native Pakistan in 1976, he quickly became a regular in the national team. By 1982, he was awarded the captain's armband. Khan enjoyed an illustrious career and was regarded by many as one of the best all-rounders in the world.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
World champion
The ultimate high point of Khan's sporting career saw him captain Pakistan to the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. As if his popularity couldn't get any bigger back home, Khan even took the winning wicket in the final against England.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
From playboy to (thrice) married man
Khan enjoyed hedonistic bachelor life and was a regular fixture on London's nightlife scene. However, in 1995, at age 42, he finally tied the knot to 21-year-old Jemima Goldsmith. During their nine-year marriage, the famous couple provided plenty of fodder for the British and Pakistani tabloids. Despite separating in 2004, Goldsmith has remained a vocal supporter of Khan's politics.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Khan enters politics
Khan wasted little time after retiring from cricket in 1994. Just two years later he entered Pakistani politics and founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. However, his popularity was slow to carry over from cricket into politics. In the 1997 general elections, his PTI party failed to win a single seat.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Political activist
Khan remained active in politics over the next decades. In 1999, he supported General Pervez Musharraf's military coup, only to later turn against Musharraf ahead of the 2007 presidential election. Khan was subsequently placed under house arrest and even spent a few days in prison. However, his supporter base continued to grow, and by 2013 he became a key candidate in the general elections.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
2013: Khan's political breakthrough
The PTI made substantial gains in the 2013 election, claiming 30 parliamentary seats and finishing second behind the Pakistan Muslim League. The party became the main opposition in the key provinces of Punjab and Sindh. However, its greatest feat was winning its first province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
"Taliban Khan"
Khan has often been the butt of jokes for his pacifist stance towards terrorism in the region. He earned the moniker "Taliban Khan" for claiming that the only way to achieve peace with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan was through negotiation. Khan was also a vocal critic of US drones strikes on Pakistan and has promised to disengage Pakistan from America's conflicts in the Middle East.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Two more marriages
Since his divorce from Goldsmith in 2004, Khan has remarried twice. In January 2015, Khan announced his marriage to British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khanm although just 10 months later the couple said they were filing for divorce. In February 2018, Khan married his third wife, Bushra Manika (pictured front row, second from the left), whom he describes as his spiritual adviser.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Making waves in 2018
By 2018, Khan's PTI were among the favorites going into the general election. Campaigning on a populist platform, Khan pledged to break away from Pakistan's corrupt legacy. His plans include a poverty reduction program similar to that seen in China. This would see the establishment of an "Islamic welfare state," the creation of 10 million jobs and construction of 5 million homes for the poor.
-
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister?
Prime Minister Imran Khan
Khan completed his journey from all-star cricketer to political leader on July 26, 2018. With most votes counted, the PTI is expected win up to 119 seats in Pakistan's 272-seat parliament. "I started this struggle 22 years ago and today I have been given a chance to fulfill what I dreamed for the country," Khan said in a televised speech. "We will run Pakistan like it's never been run before."
Author: David Martin
