It’s a Pause Amidst the Storm
The war between India and Pakistan has not ended. It has only been suspended—momentarily—under the fragile banner of a ceasefire. At best, this offers a breath of relief. But it does not promise peace. It does not assure resolution. It merely postpones the inevitable reckoning of a conflict that has been smouldering for over seven decades.
This is not the first time these two nations have faced off. Four full-scale wars have already bled both sides—costing lives, draining economies, and dimming hope. India has made it clear—there can be no dialogue unless the architecture of cross-border terrorism is dismantled. For peace to be meaningful, it must be earned through trust, not manufactured through fear.
And while this ceasefire has calmed the thunder at the borders, it has not erased the anxieties of the people. The common citizen, battered by daily crises and exhausted by decades of disruption, may have hoped for peace—but this time, they are not just hopeful. They are restless. Frustrated. Angry. Because even in ceasefires, there is no guarantee of peace only a silence that could be shattered by the next provocation.
But let us, for a moment, rise above the sentiment and view this from the lens of strategy—military, diplomatic, and geopolitical. This ceasefire is not just a gesture of goodwill. It is also a signal. A signal of recalibration. A moment of strategic pause before potentially darker times. This was no routine border flare-up. This was a war rehearsal—a demonstration of strength, reach, technology, and will. Behind the silence now lies a deeper noise: of intelligence assessments, supply line audits, military drills, and technological benchmarking.
International actors were not merely watching—they were intervening. They were measuring responses, testing alliances, and drawing lines. The world now knows how quickly things can spiral in South Asia. And more importantly, both India and Pakistan have seen the extent of their vulnerabilities, and the contours of their capabilities. This moment was not just about past grievances—it was a test of the future battlefield.
Yet, for those of us who believe in humanity over hostility, this is a time for reflection, not retaliation. Ceasefire should not be used as a pit stop to sharpen war machines. It should not serve as a cooling-off period only to ignite another blaze. It must be a bridge—not a barricade. It must lead to dialogue, not detonation.
Let us remember: the men who build missiles, who work in war factories, who code the software of drones—they are humans too. And no person—no mother, no father, no child—wants war. Not unless it becomes an unavoidable defense of sovereignty or survival. Wars drain economies. And economies that collapse from the weight of military overspending eventually lose their politics, their dignity, and even their borders.
We’ve seen this. We’ve seen countries invest in bombs rather than bread. We’ve seen nations crumble under the weight of their own arsenals. Let us not walk that path.
This ceasefire must be more than a pause. It must be a prelude to peace.
In the past week, uncertainty hung heavy over every home. Sirens, news flashes, and the buzz of drones in the sky shook the peace of millions. But leadership matters in moments like these. And it was leadership—firm, restrained, and focused—that pulled us back from the brink. Not with aggression, but with wisdom. Not with fear, but with foresight.
Our leaders carry the burden of protecting a billion lives. And they know that true patriotism lies not in destruction, but in the defence of life and liberty. The wars of the future will not only be fought with weapons—they will be fought with economies, with ideas, with diplomacy, and with the ability to de-escalate before devastation.
As citizens, we elect leaders not to wage war, but to prevent it. To protect us. To speak when we cannot. And when the clouds of war darken our skies, we rely on their courage and their conscience.
The recent confrontation—this ‘dogfight’ was not just a display of jets in the sky. It was a lesson. A wake-up call. We must study it not just to sharpen our weapons, but to understand our weaknesses. What we averted may have been the deadliest face-off in South Asia since World War II. And what we must now pursue is not rearmament—but reason.
Let this ceasefire be a turning point. Let it not fade into history as just another pause before another war. Let it become the foundation of dialogue, cooperation, and a shared future where development replaces destruction.
Because in the end, every war starts with an order—but peace, peace begins with courage.
Fida Firdous, President Kashmir Writers’ Association and Editor in Chief North Kashmir Gazette.
