Peace in South Asia: Talking to Pakistan, A Must
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Jeff in Letters to Editor
PAKISTAN IS A REALITY; INDIA MUST ACCEPT THE FACT
By Moin Ansari
Bharati politicians have come to the simple conclusion that there is no other option than to talk to Pakistan. The hoopla over Mumbai could have been resolved in a few private meetings, but the events were overtaken by media hype and the proclivity of the Bharati politicians to exaggerate, sensationalize and point fingers across the border.
In an prodigious article written by Happymon Jacob (Happymon Jacob is Assistant Professor in Diplomatic Studies at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.) in the Hindu the professor has the following advice for Bharat.
- Even as it is busy crafting a new strategy of engagement with Islamabad, New Delhi needs to remain cognisant of some important facts, discard certain myths and think outside the box as to what should constitute a renewed Indo-Pakistan dialogue
- First, it needs to abandon the myth that nothing was achieved during the 2004-08 peace process.
- Secondly, it needs to be realised that though Pervez Musharraf did add drive to the Kashmir dialogue, tremendous progress has been made
- Thirdly, it is now clearly understood that New Delhi’s interests in Afghanistan will be served better in cooperation with a friendly Pakistan.
- Fourthly, New Delhi should engage the Pakistan Army. It is widely considered to play an important role in influencing Pakistan’s India policy
- Finally, talking to Pakistan about water-related issues is vital
The media and the current residents of Rashpati Bhavan continue to see Pakistan as a caricature. The Indian National Congress (INC) has done great disservice to the pullulating millions of South Asia by casting all those that opposed the INC as villains and all those who were part of the INC as shining warriors on white steeds. By creating such binary notions of history, it has shackled the entire Subcontinent into perpetual animosity.
If Bharat and Bharati politicians are serious about dialogue with Nepal, Lanka, Bhutan, China, and Bangladesh then Delhi must be prepared for some serious sacrifices. Regional power does not grow out of the barrel of a gun–it grows through mutual respect, admiration and apologies for past misdeeds.
Whatever Bharat thinks of Pakistan and Pakistnais is besides the point. If Delhi wants to impose settlements upon all its neighbors, then it might as well bid goodbye to any notion of a global or regional player. That status is only possible if the relations between Bharat and its neighbors are like those between the US and Canada. Unless and until the people of Bharat relaize that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) eliminates the possibility of any decisive victory against Pakistan and China, there can be no peace in the Subcontinent.
Peace is not a prize given to those who behave well or conform to diktats. Peace has to be achieved through building relationships and trust.
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2 Responses to “Peace in South Asia: Talking to Pakistan, A Must”
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neel123
24. May, 2010
” …… If Bharat and Bharati politicians are serious about dialogue with Nepal, Lanka, Bhutan, China, and Bangladesh then Delhi must be prepared for some serious sacrifices…… ”
- There will be no peace on the basis of Indian concessions on various issues including Kashmir, and never through threat of terrorism.
- Indian nukes are not for Pakistan alone. In the event of any nuke attack on India, all the Sunni muslim states within India’s reach would be wiped out …… !
- India is in no rush to have peace with Pakistan.
- India is also in no rush to have the tag of a big power. The world would eventually accept this as a fact of life, regardless of what Moin Ansari and his fellow Pakistanis in denial would wish… !
Tnavir Ahmed Siddiqui
24. May, 2010
@Mr Neel123: Yes My friend your are right, “there can be no peace”…mainly without acknowleding the realities at both sides. But your all those hawkish elements like SHIVSENIANS must now let go off that old trapez of their continuous denial. Despite passage of more than 6 decades they are within their columns, quarters and corridors continuously failing to acknowledge and accept PAKISTAN as an entity and for the purpose they never let go any single opportunity to convey their hatred. I am sorry my friend..We beg no concessions on any issue. We only are rightfuly looking out for our soverignity integrity and honor as an independant nation in a civilized neighborhood. Kashmir is a bone of contention and the issue must be resolved the sooner the better would be for all those poors trying to survive in evergowing slums at both sides of barbed wires. How far INDIA is really serious in dialogues for settling issues with her neighbors like Bhuttan Nepal BD SL CHINA that is it self a long story of issues in sub continent and we fail to see any genuinly happy neighbor of INDIA in the region.