War Is Not a Solution

By: Iqraruddin Khisraw 


Once again, tensions are flaring between India and Pakistan. Skirmishes along the Line of Control, hostile rhetoric across media platforms, and the ever-looming specter of war have returned to dominate the discourse in South Asia. In such moments, emotions run high and calls for retaliation drown out voices of reason. But amid this storm of nationalism and fervor, we must pause and reflect: Has war ever solved our problems?


The Illusion of Victory


The idea that war brings resolution is a deeply flawed notion. Throughout history, conflict between nations has rarely resulted in permanent solutions. Instead, it has left behind shattered cities, devastated economies, broken families, and generations burdened with hatred and trauma. In the specific context of India and Pakistan — both nuclear-armed states — the possibility of full-scale war is not just reckless; it is catastrophic.


A war in this region would not be contained. It would spill across borders, engulf cities, and destroy lives indiscriminately. And in the end, even the so-called “victor” would inherit only ashes.


The Cost of Conflict


Every bullet fired, every tank mobilized, and every jet scrambled costs millions. Both nations are home to vast populations suffering from poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and lack of access to quality healthcare. What sense does it make to pour billions into defense budgets while our children study in crumbling schools, our hospitals lack medicine, and our cities gasp under pollution and overpopulation?


Imagine the transformation if even a fraction of the military expenditure was redirected toward human development — education, clean energy, food security, and infrastructure. Peace is not just morally superior; it is economically and socially smarter.


Media, Politics, and Manufactured Hostility


One of the saddest realities of our times is how war hysteria is often manufactured. Sensationalist media, populist politics, and chauvinistic ideologies fuel a cycle of hatred that serves political interests but ruins public discourse. Television anchors glorify war, social media trends dehumanize the ‘enemy’, and politicians use conflict as a distraction from domestic failures.


This manipulation must be recognized and rejected. The common man in Lahore or Delhi, Karachi or Kolkata, does not want war. He wants peace, a job, a good future for his children, and the chance to live without fear. It is the ruling elites who play chess with lives while the masses pay the price.


Dialogue: The Only Way Forward


Whether it is Kashmir, water rights, trade, or cross-border terrorism — no issue between India and Pakistan can be resolved through violence. Every enduring solution lies in negotiation, mutual respect, and a commitment to coexistence. History has given us glimpses of what is possible: the Lahore Declaration, Agra Summit, backchannel diplomacy, people-to-people initiatives — all of them demonstrate that progress is possible when we dare to talk.


The alternative is too dangerous to contemplate. In an age of instant communication and global interconnectedness, war is not just outdated; it is suicidal.


A Call for Courage — The Courage to Make Peace


It takes more courage to extend a hand of friendship than to raise a sword. True leadership lies in building bridges, not walls; in healing wounds, not inflicting them. Both nations must reject the toxic narrative that peace is weakness. It is not. Peace is strength, maturity, and wisdom.


As the world watches the subcontinent, we must choose our legacy. Do we want to be remembered as nations that burned their futures in the fire of pride? Or as countries that chose dialogue over destruction, compassion over conquest?


Let the answer echo from every mosque and temple, from mountains of Gilgit to fields of Punjab:

No more war. No more hate. Let there be peace. Let there be hope.