These days, tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated dramatically following the Pahalgam attacks. Both countries took their differences to the brink of limited war, which was eventually de-escalated through the intervention of global powers. During this period, both mainstream and social media played a major role in spreading disinformation. On both sides, ordinary people joined in mocking, provoking, and vilifying one another as if war were some kind of entertaining spectacle. It seemed as though conflict had become a national carnival, with each side wishing total destruction upon the other.
Emotionally charged men and women are now urging the Prime Ministers and military chiefs of both Pakistan and India to sound the drums of war calling for Pakistani forces to raise their flag in Srinagar and Delhi, and Indian forces to raise theirs in Islamabad and Lahore. On my own family WhatsApp group, pro-war voices beat the war drum daily. Ironically, they never set foot near a border, yet criticize their own militaries and governments for not taking "strong enough" action. Their daily contribution to this narrative? Forwarding inflammatory messages each morning and washing their hands of any real responsibility.
From 1948 to 1971, neither country was a nuclear power. Today, both are. And it’s worth reflecting on the fact that many of those advocating for war are the very people who have never experienced its horrors.
A few years ago, during a visit to Japan, I met two elderly individuals who were living out the final chapters of their lives. Shikoi Shiomohira, then 87 years old, was just 15 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Her entire family perished in the attack. In 1955, she married another survivor, Sumiteru Taniguchi. Together, they joined a peace movement, dedicating their lives to educating others about the devastation caused by war.
According to Shikoi, several hours after the bombing, she identified her mother’s charred body by her gold teeth. When she touched her, the body crumbled into ash. Shikoi herself was critically wounded half her body burned. Though her physical wounds healed over the years, the scars remained so severe that people recoiled at the sight of her. She considered suicide many times but stopped herself, thinking, "If I die, who will place flowers on my loved ones’ graves?" Sumiteru's story was no less tragic. These were people who bore the true cost of war.
It's important to remember that in 1945, there were two options to end World War II: a nuclear strike or a Soviet invasion of Japan. Had the United States opted for a ground assault while the Soviet Union invaded from another front, Japan might have surrendered quickly. But the U.S. Would have lost its opportunity to assert dominance, and the Soviet Union would have expanded into Asia an unacceptable outcome for the Americans. Meanwhile, Japan’s emperor showed little concern for his people. He refused to accept an unconditional ceasefire, insisting that the imperial monarchy remain intact. Because of this political ego, over 200, 000 people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In the aftermath, Emperor Hirohito remained in power until his death in 1989 the monarchy survived, but the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki live with the trauma to this day. The truth is that for the American, Soviet, and Japanese leadership, innocent civilian lives were secondary to their strategic interests.
So before glorifying war, imagine placing yourself, your family, your fellow citizens even your perceived enemies in the shoes of Shikoi Shiomohira and Sumiteru Taniguchi. They survived, but their lives became a living hell, perhaps remaining so until their final breaths. Sumiteru, once moved to tears, said, "We have seen what it’s like to be burned by flames of 4,000°C. Now, we live with the hope of witnessing the end of nuclear weapons in our lifetime".
I don't know if Shikoi or Sumiteru are still alive today. But one thing is certain: the world is more unsafe today because of nuclear weapons than it was even during the Cold War. Nine countries now possess nuclear arms. Among them, India and Pakistan continue to provoke each other periodically. Globally, there are nearly 20,000 nuclear weapons more than enough to wipe out all life on Earth several times over.
So, to my Pakistani and Indian brothers and sisters: if these weapons are ever unleashed, there will be no one left to celebrate victory and no one left to mourn the dead. To those driven by emotion: please, pause. Think, even just once.
