The Indian government is as afraid of the general’s sonic bombs as the present-day government in Pakistan.
NEW DELHI: This is with reference to Atiqa Odho’s article of December 7 titled “Don’t bother with India, General Musharraf”.
The Indian government is as afraid of the general’s sonic bombs as the present-day government in Pakistan. The fact of the matter is that, contrary to what the writer is suggesting, the general has never been popular with the Indian public. It is only the press that is enamoured of him perhaps because of the sound bites he provides. Had he come to India, he would have certainly talked about Kashmir and this would have made the Indian government uncomfortable.
Also, the writer’s memory seems to be rather short since she seems to have forgotten that it is Pakistan’s generals which have always led the country down the wrong path. And that is a trait that they share with democratically-elected governments in India. Also, for the most part, I would say that India’s younger generation couldn’t care less for Pakistan. And the reason that people from the creative arts in Pakistan want to come and work in India is that the money is good and they probably realise that there is, by and large, greater tolerance here for such things. Above all, the audience is appreciative.
Himanshu Mehta
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2010.
