China has played an active-role to stabilize the current crisis between Pakistan and India through dialogue. After the terrorist attack Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, reaffirming Chinese support for Pakistan’s sovereignty. He urged a diplomatic resolution of all disputes, a permanent ceasefire and better cooperation. Even as he denounced the terror attack at Pahalgam, he urged both countries to cooperate.
In current weeks, Pakistan and India have come dangerously close to a flashpoint. Minor miscalculations now carry the weight of catastrophe. Violations of international borders, missile threats against cities and military installations, and a chilling diplomatic silence have dragged the entire South Asian region into a haze of uncertainty.
On May 11, both countries accused each other of violating a fragile truce, even as global attention turned toward the region. US President Donald Trump, after initially brushing off the escalating tensions as “none of our business,” reversed course. Vice President JD Vance called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following “alarming intelligence” about the conflict.
Trust is lacking between Pakistan and India. Without trust even a single miscalculation could ignite a conflict neither side can afford. It’s time for renewed dialogue and deeper public engagement, stating that peace in South Asia cannot survive without face-to-face diplomacy and people-to-people contact.
Behind the scenes, a critical yet unresolved matter is reappearing: the future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Water specialists and policymakers have become more worried about India’s latest unilateral suspension of treaty duties, a flow that jeopardizes the sensitive water balance between the two nuclear-armed international locations. In response, they’re urging Islamabad to notify Washington regarding the problem, in particular due to the latest US-mediated ceasefire that has helped lessen military tensions within the vicinity.
Yet none of these efforts will matter without intent. Real, visible political will. The youth of Pakistan and India want jobs, education, a future beyond gunpowder and grief. They are not asking for war-they are asking for air to breathe, borders they can cross, and peace they can live with. History shows that dialogue always follows war. The wiser move is to talk before the blood is spilled. War destroys. Peace, when genuine, delivers prosperity, dignity, and hope. Now is the moment to choose.
This diplomatic effort is driven by the wish that US intervention could provide India an opportunity to reinstate the treaty-without the political results of an overt reversal. Originally signed in 1960 with help from the World Bank, the IWT has been stated as one of the most successful water-sharing agreements internationally, surviving a couple of wars and border conflicts. As consistent with its stipulations, India holds the eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, while Pakistan is authorized to use the waters of the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.
However, this balance is becoming fragile. Any disruption, especially all through heightened army and diplomatic tensions, risks causing an environmental and humanitarian disaster for limitless people. Pakistan is closely dependent on the western rivers for irrigation, consuming water, and hydropower. The failure of this settlement might now not only heighten distrust, but can also ignite a bigger struggle bobbing up from useful resource instability- one that might increase uncontrollably in an already tense area.
On the diplomatic front, Islamabad’s strategic community urges a full reset. Immediate ceasefire, restoration of hotlines, and a return to the 2003 Line of Control agreement are critical first steps. Embassies must be reactivated in both capitals, and comprehensive talks must resume- talks that include Kashmiris and are rooted in the framework of UN resolutions.
Public diplomacy, too, has to be brought back to life. Access to visas for students, journalists, artists and members of civil society has the ability to make space for empathy. What the media houses need is cooperation, not confrontation. And a still hobbled economy by global trauma needs trade, not tension. Shared problems- water, energy, climate- demand shared solutions, not standoffs.
The media’s role is pivotal. It has to refuse to be a weapon of war. Where news is noise and headlines spark animosity, peace slips away. It’s not a luxury anymore to report responsibly, it’s required.
Yet none of these efforts will matter without intent. Real, visible political will. The youth of Pakistan and India want jobs, education, a future beyond gunpowder and grief. They are not asking for war-they are asking for air to breathe, borders they can cross, and peace they can live with. History shows that dialogue always follows war. The wiser move is to talk before the blood is spilled. War destroys. Peace, when genuine, delivers prosperity, dignity, and hope. Now is the moment to choose.
