WESTERN societies and governments keep criticising the countries in the East for their curbs on freedom of conscience and expression. The criticism is often severe but not unjustified. Yet it would be appropriate to remind them of their attitude toward these values not long ago.

Here is a reminder borrowed from the life of Bertrand Russell, one of the great intellectuals of the 20th century. He was fined £100 for protesting against the conviction of a conscientious objector to World War I, and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for questioning the use of troops against strikers.

Along with Albert Einstein, he issued a public appeal on the problem of human survival in a conflict, urging the combatants to negotiate rather than fight.

The current pause in hostilities between India and Pakistan calls for a similar approach. Both of them surely know by now that the only way to resolve the dispute over Kashmir is to negotiate. Other approaches including wars that have not worked over the past 70 years are even less likely to work in the next 70.

Kunwar Idris
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2018