ISLAMABAD
\n\u2018Pakistan is a holy land for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists alike. The holy book of Hindus, Rigveda was revealed and composed in Pakistani Punjab. The epic Mahabharata was recited for the first time in Taxila, Pakistan. For Sikhs, Pakistan is a holy land as it is the birth and death place of their Guru.
\nFor Buddhists, their Guru, Padma Sambhava, a god in Buddhism was born in Swat. Therefore, Pakistan is equally sacred for all the major religions of South Asia and beyond.\u2019 These were the views expressed by Ambassador Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi, former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Deputy High Commissioner to India, during his talk at the Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad.
\nAmbassador Hashmi regretted that India\u2019s hegemonic and interventionist approach to its neighbors has hindered Pakistan\u2019s relations with South Asian states. He said that Hindu pandits view their neighboring countries with a sense of ownership, noting that India\u2019s worldview, including its life, religion, and ideology, is rooted in Hindu secularism, shaped by Hindu values and systems.
\nAmbassador Hashmi noted that while Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are perceived as independent sovereign states, India has consistently exerted influence and pressure on them.
\nFor instance, in Bhutan, India stationed a full corps of its army, commanded by a lieutenant general, despite Bhutan\u2019s UN membership. Similarly, Nepal, a predominantly Hindu nation, is influenced by India\u2019s stance that Buddha was born there.
\nAmbassador Afrasiab added that in the late 1980s, India faced accusations of trying to overthrow the Maldives government. He also highlighted the Tamil ethnic connections between South India and Sri Lanka. Ambassador Afrasiab highlighted that while India culturally influences Bangladesh, religion connects it more closely to Pakistan.
\nHe noted India\u2019s support during the 1971 conflict and the subsequent narrative of 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering, though the actual number was only 34,000, as stated by General Niazi and referenced by Sharmila Bose, he asserted. \u2018Unfortunately, Indian intelligence undermined Bangladesh\u2019s intellectual foundations by destroying literature related to the independence movement and key figures like Mr. Jinnah, severing the new generation\u2019s ties to Pakistan\u2019, he stressed.
\nWhile remarking on India\u2019s belief that \u2018Pakistan is inconsequential to India,\u2019 he stated that this perspective contradicts the reality that 80 percent of India\u2019s armed troops are stationed near the western border rather than focussing on China. Ambassador Hashmi stated that the RSS under Modi believes in Akhand Bharat, which was a lost glory as the partition of India took away the spirit of Hindu pride when the Indus Valley was transferred to Pakistan, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD \u2018Pakistan is a holy land for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists alike. The holy book of Hindus, Rigveda was revealed and composed in Pakistani Punjab. The epic Mahabharata was recited for the first time in Taxila, Pakistan. For Sikhs, Pakistan is a holy land as it is the birth and death place of their Guru. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-441630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n