MUZAFFARABAD: Former senior minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, has warned that the growing ignorance among youth about the consequences of war poses a serious threat to peace and stability in South Asia, particularly in light of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

In a strongly-worded statement, he lamented that in the era of social media, short attention spans, and viral memes, the harsh realities of history — especially those related to war and conflict — were being dangerously trivialized.

“Fed on hyper-nationalist propaganda and decontextualized history, today’s youth view war as a game, a slogan, or a romanticized fantasy,” he maintained.

“If we do not awaken this generation, the vultures of war — greedy, ruthless, and ever-watchful — will find no shortage of prey.”

He said the region continued to suffer from the lingering trauma of the 1947 partition and subsequent wars between India and Pakistan, in which, according to him, “humanity lost every time.” He added that beyond the battlefield, the consequences had included deepening poverty, extremism, social fragmentation, and an arms race that prioritized psychological dominance over genuine peace.

Calling attention to the abrogation of Article 370 and last month’s false flag operation in Pahalgam, Mr Farooq accused the Indian government of “discarding UN resolutions like waste paper” and committing atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir through the deployment of nearly 900,000 troops.

“Civilians are being killed, worship places bombed, homes reduced to ashes. These are not just military operations —they are crimes against humanity,” he stated.

Referring to recent Indian missile attacks on AJK and indiscriminate ceasefire violations along the LoC, he maintained that Pakistan had responded with “precise and forceful counter strikes,” demonstrating both capability and resolve.

“I pay tribute to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of the Air Staff and all officers and soldiers of the country’s armed forces for their dignified and effective response that made India bite the dust,” the PML-N leader said.

He said the unified civil-military posture had not only restored public confidence but also conveyed a clear message that Pakistan would not tolerate aggression against its sovereignty and people.

Quoting John F. Kennedy and Albert Einstein, the PML-N leader stressed that war must not be normalized or glamorized. “Peace is not weakness, but wisdom,” he remarked, urging governments and civil society to educate youth about the true cost of conflict.

He also criticized the international community for its silence, calling the UN Security Council “paralyzed” and Western diplomacy “indifferent.”

“In a world already grappling with the war in Ukraine and Israeli aggression in Gaza, the festering India-Pakistan conflict could also have far-reaching global repercussions, he warned, urging the United Nations and the broader international community to fulfil their responsibilities in addressing the root cause of tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

“The Kashmir issue is not merely about the right to self-determination of a nation — it is the core trigger of recurring hostility between two nuclear powers,” he said. “If the international community continues to look the other way, it will be complicit in pushing South Asia towards an unimaginable catastrophe. It must act — now — before it’s too late.”

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025