How long can this abnormal situation continue where India routinely lobs mortars and artillery across the Line of Control (LoC) and then Pakistani forces retaliate and the situation is settled; at least for a day or two? Things have gone on like this for so long that the Indians have changed tactics. Now they routinely target civilian areas on the Pakistani side. For its part, the Pakistani military has always reserved all its return-fire for Indian soldiers and it’s not often that you see claims of Pakistani fire killing any civilians on their side; even in their own savage media. The latest such Indian adventure cost the life of a 10 year old girl, along with sending four young men to the hospital. Islamabad has once again let the Indian ambassador know how things stand. Yet the Indians seem belligerent. Surely the red nose they got from the Abhinandan incident will take a long time to heal. And since then the Modi government has been doing what it can to upgrade India’s military. First they got fighter aircraft from France then they got some more military hardware from Israel. And now their tactics on the LoC betray only one thing; that they are itching for confrontation in which they, according to their own thinking, can teach Pakistan a lesson. Yet, once again, there’s only so long such hide-and-seek can go on. Sooner or later this confrontation will expand. And since the Indians are in no mood to talk it out or even discuss some of the less contentious issues to build trust, they must take responsibility for this escalation. Pakistan has done all it can to make things better. Successive governments now, going back to the late 90s, have been pressing for peace whereas the Indians have used all excuses in the book to frustrate all progress. Pakistan has also tried to get the attention of the international community, but it seems that the countries that can make a difference are more interested in India’s giant market than the prospect of peace in Kashmir or in the wider region. That is why it is clear that India is testing Pakistan’s patience. Pakistan must once again warn the international community about just what might happen once its patience is exhausted. *