The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that a war between India and Pakistan was no longer an option as it would mean a disaster for the two neighbouring countries.
In its monthly newsletter ‘Speak Up’, the opposition party said it was time to show restraint, de-escalate and hold dialogue.
“War is no more an option; it is a disaster for the two neighbours if the leadership does not rise to the occasion. Now is not the time for triumphalism. Now is the time for restraint – ?for de-escalation, for dialogue, for the quiet courage it takes to pull back from the edge,” the party said.
Commenting on the events of the past two weeks, the PDP said that for a few harrowing days this month, the subcontinent stood on the edge of catastrophe.
“Missiles flew, drones buzzed across borders, and entire villages along the Line of Control braced for impact. It wasn’t just a skirmish – it was a brush with full-fledged war. Civilians on both sides paid the price. Children died. Families fled. Farmland turned into military outposts overnight. And for what?” the party asked.
It said while the aim of the escalation was to avenge terror and defend sovereignty, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were once again caught in the crossfire.
“We are told it was to avenge terror. To send a message. To defend sovereignty. But even sovereignty has limits when the stakes are nuclear.
“Once again, the people of Jammu & Kashmir were caught in the middle – ?squeezed between the ambition of men in power and the tragedy of geography. It didn’t matter that Kashmiris, too, were burying their dead,” it added.
The party said it did not matter that ordinary people, still healing from decades of loss, were pleading for peace.
“The air was thick with chest-thumping, not conscience. And as the drums of war grew louder, so did the flood of misinformation. Television studios turned into barracks, social media into battlefields. Unverified videos, jingoistic hashtags, and choreographed outrage swept through the public sphere like wildfire,” the PDP said.
The party said the truth became collateral damage in a propaganda war meant to sway hearts, silence dissent ?and win votes.
“Nothing galvanises the national mood like the image of a strongman leader standing tall against a foreign enemy. But when war becomes a campaign slogan, it ceases to be defense. It becomes spectacle,” it added.
“Both India and Pakistan are armed to the teeth, but it is always the poor, the voiceless, and the borderland communities who bleed first and most. The ballots must never become a substitute for bullets. Nor should they be an excuse to light fires that entire generations may have to extinguish.
“There is nothing brave about playing brinkmanship with nuclear consequences. After three to four days of death and destruction, fortunately, we saw a ceasefire and people breathed a sigh of relief, finally,” it added.The party said, however, it did not go well with the television studio “warmongers” who are still baying for blood.