Time To Grow Up: India, Pakistan, and the Perils of Perpetual Grievance

It’s time for India and Pakistan to put peace over petulant posturing.

Once again, India and Pakistan are dragging the world to the edge of a catastrophe that nobody except politicians wants, needs, or benefits from. The latest flare-up—sparked by a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, retaliatory drone strikes by India, and a gruesome school bus bombing in Pakistan—follows a pattern that is as familiar as it is infuriating. Every few years, when some group in either country is desperate for attention, the same script unfolds: blame, denial, escalation, and international alarm.

Frankly, it’s high time both nations grow up. Two nuclear-armed neighbors should not be going tit-for-tat and playing games with the lives of civilians and the stability of an entire region. The world is tired of watching this rivalry teeter towards disaster every time a bomb goes off or a politician sees an opportunity to whip up nationalist fervor; at some point, this has to stop.

The danger here isn’t just the violence itself: it’s the fact that both sides act as if this is normal. As if the occasional border skirmish, diplomatic hissy fit, and threat of nuclear war are acceptable tools of national policy and diplomacy. They’re not.

To most of the world, it looks like two countries throwing around deadly accusations and retaliatory strikes like teenagers in a break-up. Instead of keyed cars or broken windows, though, these tantrums involve war planes, car bombs, and nuclear arsenals. 

Neither India nor Pakistan can afford this behavior. Both are emerging economic powers with large and youthful populations; both face serious domestic challenges, like poverty, inequality, corruption, and environmental crises; and both are desperately trying to command respect on the global stage. Yet both act like schoolyard rivals, locked in an endless grudge over a contested patch of land and wounded national pride. 

Enough. The international community cannot and should not keep stepping in to referee a conflict that both parties refuse to resolve like adults.

 If India wants to be seen as a superpower and global technology hub, it needs to abandon its hyper-nationalist bluster—as much as it would pain Prime Minister Modi—and show real leadership in de-escalation; if Pakistan wants to shake its reputation as a haven for militant and terrorists, it needs to cut ties with these groups, stop playing the victim, and take accountability for its internal rot. 

Americans, for one, are watching on with a mix of exhaustion and frustration. At a time when Washington is already juggling Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, and a dysfunctional Congress, the last thing anyone wants is to be dragged into a 75-year-old border feud between neighbors who both claim the moral high ground but refuse to de-escalate. 

So, if the world shouldn’t step in, then what should we do?

Stop treating both countries like children who just need a timeout. If neither side is willing to step back, disarm the rhetoric, and commit to a long-term strategy for peace in Kashmir and on the sub-continent, then the international community should stop rewarding them with attention and start responding with consequences. Sanctions, diplomatic freezes, and trade restrictions are tools not just for punishing rogue regimes, but for signaling that petulance and pride do not earn respect in the international community. 

If India and Pakistan want to be taken seriously on the world stage, it’s time they act like it. Otherwise, the United States—and the world— should stop wasting time babysitting two countries too proud to learn the basics of adulthood: accountability, restraint, and a little self-awareness. Because next time, we may not get so lucky, someone may drop the bomb. But even before then, there are only so many times you can cry war before everyone stops listening.

Photo Credit: NDTV