Ather Naqvi
How do we define relations between India and Pakistan today? While the
two states have seen ups and downs in their political and diplomatic
ties, one area that has shown noticeable progress is the change of
mindsets of the people on both sides of the border. This is in sharp
contrast to the situation, say, about two decades back when India was
seen as the sworn enemy of Pakistan, not just by the Pakistan
government but also by the common man. Perhaps it was not very
different in India too. I remember that =91Kashmir=92 is one of the
earliest few words that found room in my memory as a growing boy in
the 1980s. International and regional political dimensions have worked
to change perceptions. But it can be said that India and Pakistan
still have to learn a lot =97 this time from their future. How? If they
do not tread cautiously the future will be difficult to accept and
live for a major ****tion of the population that resides in the
subcontinent.
Since India is emerging as an economic power in the region and is
spreading its tentacles of hegemonic designs on its smaller
neighbours, which often give out a squeak of protest every now and
then, it is pertinent to see if India will opt for peaceful co-
existence or will prefer to throw its weight around. While the smaller
neighbours of India, such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh may or may
not have issues with the Indian domination, Pakistan definitely does
not fit into a picture where India plays the lead role. On more than
one occasion, it has said no to Indian supremacy.
In this backdrop, can India realise its dreams of grandeur while one
of the most serious issues between India and Pakistan remain
unresolved? Will India and Pakistan always have uneasy relations, if
not hostile? This is not easy to answer since that depends on the two
countries=92 just internal political dynamics as well as the role of
international actors, especially the US whose possible nuclear deal
with India has upset the entire Indian political spectrum, besides
cautioning Pakistan.
The fact remains that there seems to be willingness =97 more in the
Indian people than in the Indian government =97 to stick out the hand of
friend****p towards Pakistani people. When I visited India a couple of
years ago, I found people more friendly than I thought they might turn
out to be. Wherever I went I found the Indians, most of them strangers
to me and vice versa, welcoming the Pakistanis with open arms. Here,
we should look into whether we have the composite dialogue overarching
the warmth among people on both sides of the border, or is the passion
for friend****p independent of whatever is happening at the state
level.
Most of the misconceptions of Indians about Pakistanis, and vice
versa, stem from their not being able to mingle with each other and
the fact that the two people have been brought up on a hate diet.
Thus, there is the belief that the Indian state machinery has kept the
people hostage to their agendas that do not go with the people=92s
desire to end hostilities.
Despite all this, there seems to be some light at the end of the
tunnel as far as the relations between the two once arch-enemies are
concerned. We have the composite dialogue surviving the hiccups here
and there as the blame game between the two countries has stopped for
the moment. And there is nothing new in that. One of the changes that
9/11 brought in the geo-political scenario of South Asia is Pakistan
****fting all its military and political energies to the fight against
the elusive genie of terrorism on its Western border. That was
followed by more confidence building measures (CBMs), including the
people-to-people contacts.
Pakistan and India have been on a collision course since their
emergence on the map of this world. There are a number f reasons that
go back to the early history of the two countries, perhaps even before
that. How the Muslim minority was being treated by the Hindu majority
at the time of Pakistan=92s independence is another debate altogether.
Then there is the issue of whether Pakistan is an ideological state or
was created to serve the economic interests of the Muslims of the
subcontinent. Staying away from these controversial and highly
explosive questions, the issue today is whether India, with a massive
population and mammoth economy, is prepared to accept Pakistan as an
equal neighbour, especially in the context of its apparent designs as
an economic and military force in South Asia?
To start with, the partition that came about after the Quaid-e-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah=92s principled and eventful duel with the shrewd
Congressmen saw one of the worst riots that erupted because Hindus and
Sikhs were not ready to accept a separate homeland for the Muslims of
the subcontinent. There is no denying that at one level, the hair-
raising stories of murders, abductions, and rape were etched deep on
the minds of the migrants from India. The two wars, one in 1965 and
the other in 1971, set the tone of the future of Indo-Pak relations.
The brief period of democracy in Pakistan was not enough to bring
about permanent peace between the two nations. Ziaul Haq was the right
man to wage jihad against the Soviet Union and not to resolve issues
with India.
Whatever the history; the requirement of today demands a fresh
approach to resolve issues that have kept the two nations from making
real progress that benefits the millions of poverty-stricken people.
Also, an unstable Pakistan is always not in the interest of India. The
fact that both states are nuclear powers doubles the responsibility of
the two countries. If India and Pakistan do not capitalise on the
willingness of the people on both sides to turn over a new leaf in the
otherwise antagonistic relations between the two countries, the future
of our young generations will be ruined. That said; caution and
patience are the two words that the people should keep in mind. There
are going to be no quick results.
The writer is a staff member
Source :The Post
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