Indirect conflicts

It is said that those countries that take the interests of their enemies
into account, develop faster.  Often, that has not been the case, and
countries have been fighting their enemies, trying to win them over.
Both countries would have war casualties and one loses. 

There are many examples of this, such as in the turbulent European

history, perhaps even up to the formation of the European Union; the
countries fought big wars against each other, whether it was World War
I or World War II. In the wars, one side won and the other side lost. But
then, these countries shifted their priorities from war to peace and
were united for the aim of global development. Other countries, too,
have given up armed conflicts, be it domestic or regional. 

The difference between traditional and non-traditional war is that in a

traditional war, one country attacks another. In a non-traditional war or
conflict, one country does not directly attack its enemy but still inflicts
damage on it. It can, for example, be through economic measures, or
through propaganda and accusations. It can also be through the
support of opposition organisations within the country. 

Economy improving due to govt’s prudent economic policies: Ahsan Iqbal

An example of this is that during the pandemic, when Covid-19 spread,

some people in the West called it a conspiracy and accused China of
attacking other countries. Economies in many countries were affected,
but China’s economy grew more than before. China was accused of
having created the virus in a lab, and its move was linked to a non-
traditional threat. Yet, currently, contradicting the conspiracy theories,
China itself is still fighting the pandemic while others have recovered. 

Now, a few words about the relations between Pakistan and India,
which have been at locker heads since day one, and have been plotting
against each other, even having fought four wars. Pakistan also
obtained nuclear weapons because of poor and antagonistic relations
with India, which may also again have become a major nuclear power
because of Pakistan’s rearmament.

As the world is progressing, the frenzy of war is also decreasing

because if a country invades another country, all others will impose
economic and other sanctions on the aggressor. Because of this fear,
many are afraid of going to war. Some large countries with strong
economies do still attack smaller countries, and economic sanction
against them would not affect them much. Russia’s recent invasion of
Ukraine is one example. 

Imran stresses on following Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings to solve problems

Generally, though, economic sanctions have a significant effect on

smaller countries. For 20 years, Pakistan and India have not fought a
traditional war. They know that whoever attacks first will be subject to
economic and other sanctions, as well as criticism from countries and
activist groups.

Although India does not attack Pakistan directly, Pakistan has

complained about non-traditional attacks, or lack of constructive
cooperation. During this monsoon season, overflowing water from
Indian rivers has affected Pakistan badly. The Pakistan Foreign Office
has expressed concern over the release of water by India into the
already flooded rivers of Pakistan, saying that the practice under these
circumstances has been a ‘recurrent’problem.

Torrential monsoon rains have caused havoc in many parts of Pakistan

with over 1,500 having perished, including children. Huge damage to
property has taken place, and an estimated 1.8 million houses have
been washed away, close to one million livestock have been killed, and
more. During a natural catastrophe, it has been claimed that India
released huge quantities of water downstream, measured as 300,000
cusecs, into the already flooded rivers of Pakistan.

PM, Punjab Governor discuss country’s political situation

But here is a question; Pakistan recently celebrated its Golden Jubilee

and before this, we witnessed three devastating flood in 1992 and
2010, and now again in 2022.Yet, Pakistan has still not been able to
save its people from the major flood disaster. We focus on India’s lack
of cooperation, but at the same time we could have done nothing more
to prevent thereoccurrence of floods ourselves. As of July, 2019, the
total number of large dams in India is over 5,000, and about 450 new,
large dams are under construction in India. In terms of number of
dams, India ranks third after China and USA.  Pakistan has just about
150 dams spread across all the provinces. Pakistan must give more
focus to projects that have long-term and preventive affects, being a
defense towards India’s lack of cooperation during recurrent floods
disasters in Pakistan.