As tensions have skyrocketed between India and Pakistan, acclaimed writer Anwar Maqsood has urged introspection and restraint. He warned about the huge cost of war which is paid by innocent civilians. He made these remarks at a presser organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan a day earlier. He said even though war rhetoric is on the rise, the effects of war are deeply troubling. “Starting a war is easy, anything small can start a war. But ending it is difficult,” he cautioned. “I am more worried about the dead civilians than I am happy about the five Indian jets we brought down. Regret over innocent lives must always outweigh the celebration of military victories,” he added. “In difficult times, we understand the significance of the army,” he said, acknowledging the public’s solidarity with Pakistan’s armed forces. “Today, 250 million people have become soldiers. I don’t have a weapon, but I have the power of the pen.”