FAR from making the atmosphere conducive to talking out their differences on a slew of issues, ranging from Kashmir to Siachen, both India and Pakistan are taking several steps back on the road to peace.

True, the response on Saturday of Pakistan’s Foreign Office to the deliberatively provocative remarks of Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was restrained and measured.

By making remarks such as the need to “teach a lesson to those who are rogue” and hinting at “harsh measures”, Mr Parrikar has done little to alleviate Pakistan’s suspicions of its neighbour.

Know more: Pakistan warns India against issuing ‘provocative’ statements

But a broader look at the overall picture, beyond the current war of words, shows that neither side has done much to clear the air. Indeed, certain Pakistani ministers themselves are not above targeting New Delhi.

While the hawkish government of Narendra Modi, held responsible for the anti-Muslim Gujarat pogrom of 2002, has left no stone unturned to vitiate the atmosphere, for example by calling off foreign secretary-level talks earlier, the Indians remain concerned by the lack of progress on the trial of the Mumbai suspects in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the more immediate concern for both sides has been the recent skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani forces along the Working Boundary and the Line of Control.

A recent attack on Indian security personnel by militants, accused by Mr Parrikar, of having crossed over from Pakistan into India-held Kashmir has further strained ties.

There are lessons in diplomacy to be learnt by both sides here. Rather than jumping the gun, and asserting that it was “an open secret that the militants came from Pakistan”, the defence minister would have done well to have waited for investigations to produce evidence that could substantiate his views.

For its part, Pakistan must remember that even if it no longer provides support to such forays by militants, its lack of action against anti-India groups and their leaders, indeed its tacit acceptance of them, may cause India’s concerns to be seen as valid.

Sadly, over the years the problems between India and Pakistan have mounted to a point that may appear difficult to solve now. Hard egos instead of flexible attitudes, disdain instead of accommodation and eagerness to blame each other for any untoward incident instead of self-introspection have pushed matters almost to the point of no return.

Had the two countries attempted earlier to resolve the less intractable differences between them, by now there would have been hope that they were at least on the right track. Conversely, taking hard-line positions will only boost the attempts of those lobbies, in both countries, that are keen to see a South Asian conflagration.

In the end, it will be the ordinary folk who will continue to suffer as the lack of cooperation on so many fronts, including trade and development, would mean continuing poverty for the entire region.

Published in Dawn December 16th , 2014