Can India make peace with a nation that calls terror patriotism?

By: Salil Gewali

It is deeply disheartening that just a few hours after a ceasefire was declared on X, the Pakistan Army violated the agreement, unleashing heavy shelling across Jammu and Kashmir, including areas near Srinagar, as well as in Punjab and Rajasthan. In fact, such blatant flouting of the truce is completely condemnable.

Can we truly place trust in a nation that has, time and again, supported extremist groups responsible for terror on Indian soil? Over the past three decades, Pakistan has repeatedly and relentlessly violated ceasefire agreements. Do global leaders like Donald Trump and Marco Rubio fully understand the consequences of these repeated infractions? Or are they having fun “tweeting diplomacy” in 280 characters or less? One believes that before any mediation is considered, the world must understand how deeply Pakistan's actions have wounded India over many decades, affecting its national security and leaving deep emotional scars on ordinary citizens who have witnessed innumerable massacres.

It's all in vain to speak of peace when a country glorifies terrorists as martyrs and religious preachers. Does any religion truly teach one to kill in its name? Many are confused. A ceasefire is only meaningful when both sides are committed to peace and the safety of civilians. What is most unfortunate is that Pakistan deliberately misinterprets India's fight against the scourge of terrorism. Wasn't “Operation Sindoor” launched with the singular motive of taking down terror outfits, especially after the cold-blooded killing of 26 Indians in Pahalgam? Despite provocation, India did not target Pakistan's military or air bases. Meanwhile, Pakistan's indiscriminate attacks destroyed homes and religious sites and claimed innocent civilian lives. The question is, where is the humanity in that?

What more? Funerals for killed terrorists following Operation Sindoor were attended by top officials in Pakistan, including Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Major General Imran Sartaj, Brigadier Mohd. Furqan Shabbir, Punjab's Police Chief Dr. Usman Anwar, and Member of the Provincial Assembly Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth. The funerals were led by Abdul Rauf, a dreaded U.S.-designated terrorist. These events were carried out with full state honors, with the coffins wrapped in the national flag, as if the terrorists were heroes. What do we call it when India mourns its Pahalgam victims, while Islamabad celebrates their killers? Why does the superpower --- the self-proclaimed torchbearer of democracy and human rights --- turn a blind eye while Pakistan dresses up terror as nationalism?

When a sovereign state chooses to honor individuals responsible for heinous atrocities against humanity, does the state not stand “guilty” of enabling the terror itself? One strongly believes that any effort toward peace becomes naïve in such a climate. For international leaders, including President Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin, and Keir Starmer, who preach reconciliation without deeper reckoning, to attempt negotiations with a nation that glorifies extremists is not diplomacy. It is a farce. It is the height of delusion. It’s ominously deeply terrifying to think that the key to triggering nuclear destruction also lies in the hands of leaders who cannot distinguish between the virtue of humanity and the scourge of terrorism.

About Writer: A writer and researcher based in Shillong, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work, Great Minds on India, which has earned worldwide appreciation. His book has been translated into fifteen languages – with a preface by a world-acclaimed NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Kamlesh Lulla of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerland.