I write from Pakistan, where I’ve been visiting family and reconnecting with my roots. What began as a peaceful visit has been overshadowed by two tragic events that have shaken the region and pushed tensions to the brink.

On 22 April 2025, militants from a group calling itself the “Kashmir Resistance” carried out a brutal attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Twenty-six tourists—25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese—were killed, and 17 others injured. The group claimed the attack was in response to what they view as demographic change and “outsider” settlement in the region.

Just weeks earlier, on 11 March, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express, which was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar. Over 400 passengers were taken hostage. The standoff resulted in the deaths of 31 people—21 civilians and four security personnel among them.

These twin tragedies are not isolated; they are part of a deeper, escalating conflict across South Asia that risks boiling over.

The powder keg of South Asia

This region is on edge. Fear is palpable. Each attack deepens distrust and fuels calls for retaliation. But this is not just another regional skirmish—it’s a dangerous game involving two nuclear-armed states. Miscalculation could be catastrophic.

Retaliation is easy. Restraint, though harder, is the only way forward.

To New Delhi: direct your fury toward diplomacy, not retribution. To Islamabad: confront and curb extremism with sincerity, not just soundbites.

Military theatrics may please TV studios, but they don’t bring back the dead. Nor do they bring peace to the farmer who works beneath the looming threat of war.

The global community, particularly the UN Security Council, must not be passive. Kashmir is not only a political flashpoint—it is a humanitarian crisis. Years of international neglect have allowed violence to fester.

Pakistan’s power in uniform

No conversation about Pakistan’s stability is complete without naming the elephant in the room: the military.

In Pakistan, the military is not merely an armed force—it is a corporate empire. From cereal to cement, sugar to steel, real estate to retail, its influence is staggering. The army owns more than any private conglomerate, while the average citizen struggles to keep lights on.

And where there’s instability, there’s opportunity. Conflict—even low-grade, chronic conflict—justifies bloated defence budgets, political interference, and unchecked power. The generals may not want all-out war, but they benefit from never-ending tension.

This diversion of resources and authority poisons Pakistan’s civilian institutions and undermines democracy at its roots.

India’s temptation — and its consequences

India, too, must resist dangerous temptations. There have been growing murmurs in nationalist circles about weaponising the Indus Waters Treaty to punish Pakistan. Let me be clear: that would be a catastrophic mistake.

Water is not a tool of revenge—it is a human right.

Interfering with Pakistan’s water supply would not only violate international law, including the Geneva Conventions, but it would inflame tensions beyond control. Such a move would not be seen as strength—it would be seen as cruelty, and it would irreparably harm India’s global image as a responsible democracy.

Instead of escalating, both countries must seek resolution. Real leadership means preventing the next war, not provoking it.

Break the cycle

This cannot become the new normal: a tragedy, a blame game, a round of sabre-rattling, and then silence until the next explosion.

Ordinary people—Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians—on both sides of the Line of Control deserve better. They are not statistics in geopolitical reports. They are farmers, students, mothers, and workers, living with fear as a constant companion.

This cycle must end.

Kashmir cannot remain a pawn in a regional chess match. Nor can Balochistan’s agony be dismissed as a fringe issue. These are human tragedies, not strategic talking points.

We must resist the idea that war is inevitable. It is not. But it becomes more likely every time we choose provocation over prudence.

A call to action

To the international community: do not look away. You have a responsibility—not just to mediate, but to act. Put pressure on both governments to return to meaningful dialogue. Insist on accountability, transparency, and justice—not retaliation.

And to the governments of Pakistan and India: rise above fury. You were elected to lead, not to lash out.

If we don’t act now, we may soon be writing elegies for a region that once stood at the crossroads of civilisation.

Let us not let it fall into ruin.

* Mo Waqas is Chair of the Lib Dem’s Stockton branch and was the PPC for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East.