Pakistan, April 28 -- Days after the deadly attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, set off a chain of events that now risks destabilizing an already fragile region, we are still waiting for the proverbial magic word. While much ink has already been spilt over the attack itself and the finger-pointing that followed, it is time (read, urgently) to shift the focus toward de-escalation and dialogue.

India's retaliatory steps, particularly the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, would go down in history as an unprecedented low. Never before in the six decades since its signing has the treaty (a rare beacon of cooperation) been so brazenly politicized. For Pakistan, a nation where 80% of agriculture depends on the Indus system, India's move to disrup...