“The solution to all pending disputes lies in dialogue” said Naravane, the former military chief implying that the two countries should resolve the conflict through negotiations instead of confrontation. He added that national security is not just the responsibility of the government or the military but a shared duty of every citizen. He emphasised that the emotional and humanitarian costs of war must not be ignored. On the other hand, a senior official from the External Affairs Ministry gave a statement to the media in which he said “This understanding is not going to affect any of the decisions that we have taken against Pakistan in the past few weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack, and most importantly, our stance on terrorism remains uncompromised by Saturday’s bilateral understanding.” The official reiterated that India has decided that any future act of terror will be considered an act of war against the country and will be responded to accordingly. 

If there is anything that war has taught us up until now is that it’s not worth fighting one. The loss of life in a war echoes for decades and greatly outweighs the territorial gain.  Diplomacy, sanctions, arbitration, and peacebuilding efforts sound much more appealing over suffering economic, humanitarian, and social losses. With the emergence of nuclear powers and increasing insurgency, and extremism, humanity is often kept at stake. Not just for their own sake but for the sake of mankind; it is extremely important for all countries to handle conflict in a diplomatic manner. 

Wars aren’t just destructive but also costly. For instance, during the Kargil War both sides spent billions of dollars in logistics and other costs. Not to mention the tragic loss of life that occurred as 527 Indian soldiers were martyred and an estimate of 2000-4000 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the conflict. If a war were to happen between the two countries again, billions of dollars would be spent every single day merely to sustain the conflict. Whether its well thought negotiations, geostrategy or empowering local communities by cultivating a sense of national identity and pride, focusing on non hostile measures will save each country its peace, dignity and stability. 

War is a last resort that should only be used after all other options have been exhausted. Nations must try every diplomatic avenue, no matter how difficult or time-consuming, before resorting to armed conflict. Prioritization should be given to international arbitration, third-party mediation, dialogue, and backchannel communications. Even harsh measures like political isolation, economic sanctions, or multilateral pressure can be effective means of enforcing accountability without resorting to violence. Diplomacy may take longer, but the results are more humane and long-lasting. It makes room for healing, compromise, and reconciliation. If history tells us anything, it is that dialogue-based peace lasts longer than war-imposed peace.

At the end, what is the price of pride if it costs us a generation, tears down a million dreams, shatters families and trades the laughter of tomorrow for the silence of lives lost today. What is the price of pride, if in raising our flags, we lower our humanity?