UN General Assembly session last month is already looking less like an ice-breaker than a delay in the inevitable breakdown

of relations between the two countries. In recent days, India has stepped up its propaganda efforts against akistan, alleging violations across the !ine of "ontrol. #ingh has put all the blame on Nawa$%s shoulders, essentially accusing him of not abiding by the agreement between the two leaders to maintain the ceasefire along the !o". akistan has predictably fired back by claiming that most of the unprovoked firing has come from India%s side. akistan has claimed unprovoked Indian firing, mainly in the #ialkot sector. It has killed and in&ured mostly civilians. 'he incidents continue to be reported with India claiming ()) !o" violations in ()*+ while akistan saying it faces regular attacks across the border. 'here is obviously no way of independently verifying all these claims. ,ut the situation on the !o" has become so bad that even the traditional e-change of sweets on .idul A$ha between soldiers of the two countries did not take place. /n a more concrete level, the suspension of bus services across the !o" has affected thousands of families who are separated by the de-facto border. 'he countries must realise that increasing tensions along the !o" have an impact on people who have nothing to do with power plays and geopolitical strategic gamesmanship. 'he hyping of incidents beyond measure ends up causing more damage to hopes of peace than the original incidents ever could. It is also clear that the mechanisms established in the past to prevent &ust such a situation from arising have not really worked. 'hese also included regular e-changes between the directors general of military operations on both sides and hotline links between those on the ground. It is unclear to what degree hawks, most notably in India, are playing up things as that country moves towards a general election. ,ut, at all costs, we need peace to win. 0or this to happen new means must be found to tackle the !o" issue and ensure any goodwill the top leadership of both countries have trickles lower down the ranks. eace between the two countries is vital to the region, and methods to prevent it from being disrupted must be found. 'he !o" is impossible to defend from all infiltration and so if blame has to be apportioned for any unauthorised movement across the border, it needs to be shared e1ually. India, as the prime instigator of the war of words, needs to realise that the cause of peace is not helped by belligerence. 'his may consume the entirety of the akistan-India relationship and whatever progress had been made on economic and political fronts over the last two years. rogress that Nawa$ #harif has always said he is keen to continue. #ingh must ratchet down the tension and rely on diplomacy, not aggression.