The flames of war are spreading in South Asia and engulfing masses of people in various parts of the region. First, Afghanistan was invaded and occupied by US-led imperialist forces. Next, the region of North and South Waziristan in Pakistan was pounded by American helicopter gunships and unmanned drones, leading to thousands of deaths among the tribal peoples living in those areas. Now, in addition to the ongoing violence in these areas, in both Sri Lanka and the Swat Valley region of Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing in fear and panic, being bombarded by tanks and heavy artillery, helicopter gunships, drones and fighter aircraft launched against them by the “elected” governments of their own countries.

The various states of South Asia have always used military force to deal with political problems. This is as true of those states that have had civilian, “democratically elected” governments, such as India, as of those states that have had military commanders at the helm of affairs. There is nothing new in that. It is a direct legacy of the colonial rule which was never repudiated by the ruling classes that have presided over these states since the British left.

What we see now, however, is a definite escalation of the use of armed force by states in the region, to the point where bombs and artillery shelling are launched indiscriminately over areas hundreds and thousands of square kilometres wide, in which millions of people live. Although the proclaimed targets of all this violence – the Taliban in Pakistan, and the LTTE in Sri Lanka – are not supposed to be more than a few thousand in number, lakhs and lakhs of hapless people are at the receiving end. This is dismissed as unavoidable “collateral damage”. It is sickening to learn about the old people and young children daily being killed and wounded as bombs are dropped on their houses, or as they are sprayed with gunfire while running here and there with their families trying to find a safe haven.

What is behind this escalation of state violence here at this time? The people of our region must be very clear that this is, first and foremost, a direct consequence of the growing imperialist interference and presence here. It is the American-led forces in Afghanistan who have led the way in turning whole regions into battle zones, who have employed aerial bombardment of civilian areas as a legitimate means of “fighting terrorists”, and who have given the dastardly thesis of “collateral damage”. It is they who have openly pushed the government of Pakistan to employ these same despicable means against its own people. No doubt, it is their example that has inspired the Rajapakse government in Sri Lanka to launch his military campaign in the north no matter what the cost to the people living there.

The escalation of military violence in the region is not only instigated by the imperialists, but it also directly increases the dangers of even greater imperialist involvement. Such conflict situations provide a readymade excuse for foreign powers to intervene in the name of “humanitarian concerns”, and to violate the sovereignty of countries, whether by sending their troops, effecting “regime change”, or putting pressure on states in various ways. The government of Pakistan has been forced to accept all kinds of conditions in return for military and financial aid to prosecute its war in the Swat Valley and the western frontier, with its President having to appear like a humble supplicant in front of the American Senate’s sub-committee when he went to Washington.

The region of South Asia is home to many conflicts, some a legacy of colonial rule and some a product of reactionary or chauvinist policies pursued by its ruling classes and their politicians. These conflicts can and must be solved politically, by getting to the roots of the problem and coming up with political solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of all sections of the concerned people. Due to the narrow, self-serving politics of various ruling forces, political solutions, even when pursued for a while, very often end up nowhere. Such situations are encouraged and used by imperialist powers which then queer the pitch and prevent any political solution from emerging from within those countries, while presenting themselves as “honest brokers” or “saviours”. The matter is taken out of the hands of the people of those countries, who are reduced to watching as helpless bystanders while their brothers and sisters get slaughtered or are turned into refugees in their own land.

The peoples of South Asia must get together to put an end to this! They must firmly oppose any imperialist or outside interference in their internal affairs. They must denounce and fight those rulers who open the door for such interference, under whatever pretext. They must take a firm stand against military solutions to political problems in their own countries, and demand as a matter of principle that acceptable and lasting political solutions must be found for these.