Sajjad Ahmad Khan
Such a narrow vision and desperate despise prevail that If you support business with India then surely people will question your patriotism
A few days ago, India fired a missile into Pakistan territory. This is a very serious incident indeed. As a matter of fact, it was not an ordinary cracker rather an attempt of one-sided mighty argy bargy, endangering human life and property on ground. And further to this, the incident has taken place between two arch enemies. Things are fraught with more danger since both the states have nuclear nukes and are always ready to rain blows on each other. The act has had a connotation that India is equipped with the capability to carry out a surgical strike in Pakistan and can thwack its target. Our consternation was further picked up when we heard that the buttons of these deadly weapons had been pressed by mistake. Ostensibly, this does deliver a message that India’s nuclear weapons are not in safe hands. Here I remember the words of a wise man that a gun turns a more risky weapon being in the hands of an unskilled shooter.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi sought to bring the matter to the attention of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, but as usual it was of no benefit. Later on, National Security Adviser Moeed Yousaf also expressed his views on the incident. He also raised the question that Delhi does not have the capability to handle nuclear technology and stressed the international community to take cognizance of the occurrence on a serious note.
History has shown that relations between Pakistan and India have always been so bad that they have never even considered each other as neighbors. It seems to me that these two unfortunate neighbors of South Asia have inherited this fight to fight it till the dooms day. The fire is burning on either side. The two countries are pathologically wrapped up in spewing venom against each other. Desperate psychosomatic competition is going on in both the countries to humiliate each other. How sad that even a cricket match is played like a battle between the two enemies on the front. I remember when the World Cup was going on and I told a friend to pray that Pakistan might win the World Cup. But out of hatred, my friend said, “I don’t care if Pakistan wins or loses the World Cup; just let Pakistan win the match against India”. These things should not be taken lightly. It is the name of an organized bigoted thinking and hateful ideology that was unfortunately passed down from the old generations to us and now from us to the coming generation. Readers will find my words cacophonous and raucous. But the fact is that my words bespeak the thinking of those who live on either side of the border.
There is intense hatred in the hearts of people of both sides. It is very difficult to climb these mountains of revulsion. Whenever a candle of peace is lit, an event occurs and the dream of peace is shattered. The two countries are in such a state of turmoil that dragging each other’s flags to the ground and setting them on fire is considered a matter of pride. Such a narrow vision and desperate despise prevail that If you support business with India then surely people will question your patriotism. And maybe you will never be able to wash away this stain of treachery. But this lava of loath is not boiling on our land alone, the attitude and thinking of Hindu hardliners is far more horrible and dangerous than that.
The strange thing is that whenever a dispute arises between Islamabad and Delhi, the first causality is trade relations. After the Pulwama incident, if my memory serves, India not only blamed Pakistan but also had revoked the status of most favorite nation (MFN). India went on imposing 200% customs duty on imports from Pakistan. The very demeanor tells us that both states are suffering from war hysteria and don’t care about the poor who are crawling beneath the poverty line.
We have to acknowledge that India is also a belligerent state. She always dreams of hoisting the flag of India over Pakistan. Now the world knows that India can be a democratic state but never secular. The image of Indian secularism has come to an end. The whole world has seen how a woman is treated when she wears hijab. The court in Karnataka upheld ban on the traditional Islamic headscarf, which speaks volumes of their hate for Islam and Muslims.
Relations between Pakistan and India have always been very weak. India and Pakistan hurled fists to each other when India ended the long-standing special status of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing Islamabad to close the channels of its diplomatic relations with New Delhi. If we want peace Delhi will have to retreat militarily over the Kashmir issue. Pakistan will also bring a change in its policy towards the occupied Kashmir. We believe that occupied Kashmir is the bone of contention, but this fundamental issue can be resolved only when we move towards peace. Peace is the solution not war. We must discourage the international arm dealers who want this issue to continue forever. Let’s no longer fall into the hands of the merchants of instigation. Let’s put the issue under the microscope of rationality.
