Posts Tagged ‘Indo-Pak Ties’

Blame It On News Media!!!!!!!!

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Yesterday was grand debate session in news channels. Grand because all had it . Topic was one of favorite topics , India -Pakistan talks. While Indian channels were angry over qureshi’s statement about s.m.krishna , there were many different options about why pakistan did what it did during talks , how press conference could have been handled in better way , what pakistan wants (according to individuals participating in debate). I am sure such debates might have taken place in pakistan news channels too.

While experts differed in most part of debate , most agreed on one part. News media’s role. Most agreed that press conference did played very important part in creating negativity in India-Pakistan talks which were recently held. Most had opinion that talks should be held away from media glare and media should be brought in only where negotitations have been reached.

Some experts believed that both India and Pakistan official play to galary through media and none wants to risk their political base and voters.

While this does have a valid point. News media plays very important role in evolving how we perceive about events which effect nation. If pakistan is listed in failed state , it does top headlines , if pakistan is listed in most unstable state , again that news finds place in headlines. But few report pakistan’s support for CWG games or India’s bid for non permanent member in security council. (Now critics would say it would oppose permanent seat. Well sure it would, would we support pakistan’s bid in present relationship status?).

Similarly in Pakistan’s daily , news about Kashmir or naxal would surely make headlines but India’s assistance in IMF loan to Pakistan?. Well it needed British foreign secretary to make that announcement. In one forum a pakistani was asked ‘what has gandhi done for them?’. Ironically gandhiji’s threat of fast unto death till India releases pakistan’s due during partition was find event which trigger nathuram godse’s decision to kill mahatma. This has been written by nathuram himself in his last letter. But pakistan media won’t print that!!!!!!!!. Similarly Indian media wont print positives of what pakistan does.

On other side of story news media is doing some wonderful things too. Geo tv and times of India’s aman ki asha is one of peace initiatives. Like wise ruchika , jessica , nitish kataria wont have seen justice if media won’t have created public pressure. Bhopal gas did spark outrage in civil society of India , courtesy news media.(It is different matter that daal , roti khao theme lets us forget things so easily)

So partial blame on news media about how pakistan perceives India and how India perceives Pakistan is valid but at same time without news media ,’hum sab chor hain’ theme would rule India and Pakistan without check.

Enhanced by Zemanta

India-Pakistan : Jab They Met

Friday, July 16th, 2010

India
Image via Wikipedia

They met because they were asked to meet. They discussed because they were asked to discuss. They listened to each other because they were given mandate to built trust. When S.M.Krishna went to meet Quershi , this “pakistan calling” episode was not for break throughs. It was for listening to where both countries stand and look for openings.

As both of them addressed press , differences in various issues was for every ones to see. From pillai to kashmir to Baluchistan , pakistan had many things to talk about while India had terrorism , trial of 26/11 , inflitration to discuss about.

As press asked question qureshi and krishna answered. They answered as if both of them were not in same press conference.
Nothing seemed common between two . While diplomats cried foul , at least the most positive aspect of press conference was honesty. Both foreign ministers honestly and frankly spoke about where they stand and what is their view point.

The most surprising statement as Indian for me was quershi’s comparision of Mr Pillai (Home secretary of India) with infamous

Hafiz Saeed , supremo of banned lashkar ae toyba and Jammat ud dawa. Now how can a rowdy element’s inflammatory speech compared with home secretary of any country?. Home secretary won’t utter a word without knowing what he is saying while people like saeed can create stories to get backing of illiterates to cause terror attacks in India.Hafiz saeed doesnot know that there are third largest number of muslims of the world  in India. He prefers to call India as hindus and it looks like he knows hindus more than hindus know themself.Hafiz has never stayed with hindus and has been mostly with muslims still he can write ‘why hindus are what they are’ encyclopedia. It is different matter that when JUD was banned , it’s website used hindu’s photo and write up about how JUD helped pakistani hindu families during earthquake. Using minority to avoid getting banned is famous trait of right wing groups all across the globe ,including India.

Coming back to qureshi , Never the less qureshi did think that a home secretary of India has equal weightage as hafiz saeed of pakistan!!!!!!!!. Now Indian press would take saeed’s statement more as official word!!!!!!!.

The hafiz saeed-Pillai saga did serve purpose of Indian press which was looking for some masala as well as opposition which cried foul and accused krishna of not standing by to home secretary.

If you replay the press conference you would come to know that krishna was half asleep when qureshi said famous words ‘both of us agreed that statement was uncalled for’. Before krishna could understand what he agreed with , press had another question and humhaar krishna did miss the bus.

Visit ended with no break throughs (nobody expected any though) but with ‘phir kab miloge , jab tum kahoge’ theme. Qureshi is expected to have ‘India calling’ theme , somewhere in November.

India and Pakistan are two countries whose relation can never make sense if third country/persons views it. Two nations separated since Independence. Two nations which often have two different versions for same event in history. Two nations which share genes , culture , most of food and to many extent destinies. India is land of more than 110 crore people while Pakistan has 18 crores. India is second most fasted economy in the world while pakistan is considered to be next big thing (if it gets is right) by world bank. India has highest number of poors (from 25% to 77% considering which report one sees) , while pakistan economy suffers because of bush’s stone age threat and taliban’s new found wisdom of making pakistan as per what they believe is Islam.

Both countries have exponential possibilities if both can get to work together and assist in creating peaceful environment.

Ordinary people of both countries though tagged as muslims , Indian muslims , Hindu , sikhs and many others , behind these tags and layers lies a emotional human being who wants to give best to his/her family , have good life and see his/her nation prosper. That is common ground where foreigner ministers can work upon.

No matter how much Indians and Pakistanis bash each other, fact remains that we need to be more realistic in our approach. We have had 3 wars , one mini war , has it solved issues?. India is facing terrorism since 20 years , did India give up kashmir?. India has been pressurizing pakistan for terrorism since last so many years , did that stop terrorism?. Pakistan has been trying to get kashmir issue solved since last 63 years , did it get solved?. So it is better to talk , talk and talk till we can achieve break throughs.

Should India keep talking while pakistan keeps shooting?. This question was asked to me by one of blog’s reader. Well valid point. Why do we keep talking when pakistan allows saeeds and salauddins to keep attacking India?. Ofcourse we need our concerns addressed. When pakistan says it is victim of terror , it is partially right. The full statement should be that pakistan is victim of terror mechanism which was created by ISI and CIA during soviet’s invasion of afghanistan. Where as India is victim of terror which was nurtured by previous regimes of pakistan and pakistan needs to deal with it. But at same time we need to engage with pakistan to get our concerns addressed.

To be fair with pakistan , they too have concerns and their own agendas. They have every right to have one. Without discussion we cannot have conducive environment to make sure things turn out positively for Indians and Pakistanis who would be born after 50 years.

P.S. : After this post was written Mr qureshi blamed India on selective approach and also questioned krishna’s mandate. 26/11 is very important issue for India and emotional issue for Indians. Life is not same after 26/11 and these concerns need to be addressed before others issues can be handled.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Bhagat Singh?..Who is he? : Pakistanis

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Photograph of Bhagat Singh taken in 1929 - whe...
Image via Wikipedia
When Pervez musharraf came to india today conclave he said that in India there is no book available about jinnah and muslims leagues contribution for freedom. This creates lack of knowledge among Indians.

He compalined that only book available is JINNAH-The man who broke India . He claimed that in pakistan book related to freedom movement is freely available and there are lots and lots of book on mahatma gandhi.

On a social networking website a question was asked to pakistanis that what do they know about chandrasekar azad , bhagat singh , raj guru and other such great freedom fighter.

Here are some of their responses :

Juned

Dont know who were they.

Aarif

Bhagat singh?..Bollywood ki ek film mein uska naam suna tha.

Majid

what pakistan have to do with them???

Asarf

mujhy bhi nahi pata ye kon hai??

Nafiza

“Rang de basanti” mein dekha tha kuch thora bohat in heroes k bary mein, otherwise never heard their names….

Salmaan

Yes i know about these people. Great Freedom fighters.

Qazi

What are pakistanis to do with these people?..Jinnah is our leader. He gave us freedom.

Salim

Yes i know about them. I respect them and am sure every pakistanis would respect them. But not many know about them.

In India too we know only about jinnah . We should inteact more and discuss all these great freedom fighters. We fought for common cause , that is freedom and then we got spiltted. If common cause is highlighted and how these martyrs sacrificed their lives , i think Indo-Pak relationship would surely get a boast.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

MY Neighbour Is Pakistani

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Day before yesterday I had invited my friend over dinner. It had been months that we had met. My friend is muslim and we share wonderful relationship. Last year he shifted to another locality from where he was staying.

This new locality has 20 tenaments and his neighbour is married to pakistani girl from karachi. When we were having dinner , news flash of attack in pakistan killing 1 and injuring 3. We started discussing pakistan . At that time my friend said -’my neighbour is pakistani. she is well behaved lady who becomes uncomfortable when ever any terrorist attack occurs in India. The eyes of all people view her as if she herself is criminal. But she is nice lady’.

When partition occurred many families got separated , while some stayed in India , some went to pakistan and vice versa. Marriages do occur between Indians and Pakistanis. It irony that people of both countries share lot of common things like culture , at times mind set , craze for bollywood and craze for cricket but at same time we share rivalry and that too bitter one.

We have fought 3 wars and one mini war in kargil . India is fighting proxy war with pakistan since 20 years. In midst of all these those who have maika in pakistan and sasural in India , time and again they come under scrutiny , under line of fire.

Will India and Pakistan’s relation ever be normal?. Jinnah in an interview just after partition said that he wants relation between India and Pakistan as that in lines of usa and canada. But means and end can’t be separated , can it be?. Pakistan is result of direct action . There has been bloody history of partition . On positive side we have example of France and England who have fought more wars than what we have and now they have great relationship.

Lets hope that relations improve in future.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Yeh Nehru Kya Gandhi Ke Bete The?

Monday, March 1st, 2010

India Pakistan

India And Pakistan

In a social networking site where Indians and Pakistanis meet online , discussion was going on about independence movement. During the discussion a Pakistani asked question -’yeh nehru kya gandhi ke bete the?’.. Initially most Indians thought that this pakistani is joking. But he was serious. When his question was answered in negative then he said -’ohh , mujhe laga yeh rahul , sonia sab gandhi ke family ke hi hain’…

In same discussion most of pakistani didnt knew who were raj guru , azad and even aslam. They had heard their name in aamir khan’s rang de basanti for first time!!!!!!!.

When asked about hemu , who belonged to present day pakistan and sacrifised his life for freedom , most of pakistanis had never heard about him too.

I was reading article on reputed pakistan daily. The article was title -’Myths In Pakistan’s History’… One of myth was that in 1857 , muslims revolted against britishers and hindu cooperated with britishers to defeat muslims!!!!!!!!!!!!… That explains why pakistan keeps name of its missile as gauri….

Now why should pakistanis be aware about nehru , gandhi or raj guru?.. Why should Indian be aware that jinnah fought tilak’s case or jinnah opposed khilafat movement or jinnah opposed hanging of bhagat singh…

The answer is that we cannot change our neighbours. We have fought wars and we have lot of disputes. Terrorism is sponsored by pakistan and pakistan accuses us to support balochistan . There is lots and lots level of mistrust among us. But our history is common. Freedom was achieved due to collective efforts of our ancestors and more we know about it , more we would appreciate our common roots.

Lets hope that we do appreciate the sacrifices of our ancestors and make better our countries.