Standing up to India

Pakistan has remained one of the most inflicted states under the menace of terrorism world has ever witnessed so far


Yasir Masood October 28, 2016
Pakistan has remained one of the most inflicted states under the menace of terrorism world has ever witnessed so far. PHOTO: AFP

Many wonder as to why Pakistan considers itself a cornered, strangulated, apologetic, overly critical and cautious state while responding to a belligerent neighbour like India. No doubt, both India and Pakistan are up against myriads of issues ranging from poverty, societal, security, economy and governance etc. But it is only India that has continuously been manipulating all such failings against Pakistan, and somehow succeeded in overshadowing and detracting its own issues including Kashmir at the various world fora.

British General praises Pakistan’s ‘inspiring’ gains in countering terror

India leaves no stone unturned to harm Pakistan’s image, while depriving it from getting any financial gains. For instance, it has been using sinister strategies of boycotting cricket every now and then, and shamefully the PCB has always been keenly pursuing to play with India. The question arises as to why the government of Pakistan does not take stern action against India by announcing that the former is not interested in playing all kind of sports with the latter. Why is Pakistan always on the receiving end? This is a high time for Pakistan to act and react in a non-diplomatic manner to retort India’s squabbling and hostile neighbourhood policy.

The media face-off between India and Pakistan could be observed at its zenith, especially amidst the blistering ongoing tensions between the two. Indian journos and TV anchors dwelling obliviously in the world of extreme jingoism with topsy-turvy, twisted and criss-crossed analysis without any rhyme or reason stretch their analysis beyond the peripheries of sanity against Pakistan. Such semblance suggests how steroidal, swift, biased, baseless and berserk Indian media could be in maligning Pakistan by browbeating and labelling it as a terrorist and an aloof state internationally. While banking blindly on such artificial media maniacal, the world can certainly dig out that there’s much more beyond this Pakistan’s bashing frenzied exhibition of the media emanating from India and i.e., it is compelled to camouflaging its ingrown creeping contests and keep afloat the shallow slogan of so-called “Shinning India”.

In reality, it is India which is confronted against several insurgent movements, and Kashmir being a flashpoint of nuclear war between Pakistan and India, if kept unresolved for an indefinite period of time. Its poverty level is worse than Pakistan, while its war capacity is also falling off as compared to Pakistan, despite spending heavily on its army personals and accumulation of war equipment and arsenals. India, therefore, needs a robust and consistent propaganda campaign to keep its own public reside in a dream world and also to shad off the world attention from all such internal weaknesses.

‘Pakistan taking action against all terrorists’

On the socio-economic front, People-to-People contacts are contradictory to the existing realities of the present day simmering tension in the region. The RSS militants, time and again, have been threatening with dire consequences, if Pakistan’s artists play any part in the Indian entertainment Industry. The veteran Indian star Om Puri has also been badly threatened while defending Pakistani actors.

India has already made a cultural invasion of Pakistan entertainment industry since the 1980s. As a result, Pakistan’s film industry has already been almost wiped out. On October 2, 2016, cable association of Pakistan rightly decided to delink with Indian media and entertainment. Pakistan sports and cultural ministry should review the playing of Indian films in Pakistani cinema houses, telecast of Indian advertisement, airing of Indian films and dramas on Pakistani TV channels and playing Indian songs on the FM radio stations. This action would also give a serious blow to Indian entertainment industry, which is earning in billions of rupees. This bold step would also broaden the scope for Pakistan’s film industry to flourish.



Pakistan has remained one of the most inflicted states under the menace of terrorism the world has ever witnessed so far. On top of that, Pakistan has also been snubbed surreptitiously by water terrorism hurled by India. Due to Pakistan’s geographical location six major rivers flow to Pakistan from Indian soil via Indian occupied Kashmir. India has already constructed enough dams on these rivers and is planning many more to limit the flowing capacity of these rivers downstream to Pakistan by violating the 1960s Indus Waters Treaty in one way or the other. Resultantly, Pakistan’s per capita water availability of 5,500 cubic meters in 1951 has already come down to a meagre capacity of 950 cubic meters per capita, by now which is on a very lower side i.e., below par any international standard.

RAW, NDS helping terrorists in Pakistan: Janjua

Mr Narendra Modi, in retaliation of Uri attack, has recently threatened of blocking water supply to Pakistan by commenting that “blood and water cannot flow together”. Recognisably, blocking water flow or even further cutting it down by India tantamount to be a war without declaring a war of worst consequences. In that case, water can become a more daunting determinant of nuclear war than Kashmir dispute, as also predicted by many war experts around the globe.

Pakistan should mitigate this colossal threat by launching a global campaign by knocking doors at the UNO, and world’s leading player to stop India of its extremist actions that may result in disrupting the entire world’s peace with unflinching adverse consequences. Pakistan must also divert funds for building new water reservoirs, including Kalabagh dam, as well as adopt all possible preventive measures to avoid water’s wastage. These steps will enable Pakistan to enhance its water storage capacity from the existing 30 days to internationally acceptable minimum threshold of 120 days storage capability.

Until now, Pakistan’s foreign policy has aptly failed to apply assertive diplomacy against India. Pakistan has suffered its image enough, particularity after 9/11. Again most of the “credit” goes to India. Now Pakistan has to make all out efforts to counter Indian shrewd diplomatic moves and political manoeuvring. Time has gone when Pakistan needed to be extraordinarily diplomatic and apologetic. This is the opportune time for Pakistan to come out of this trite foreign policy syndrome. The actions discussed above could deliver a befitting response to the Indian establishment.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

 

COMMENTS (11)

Average Brit | 7 years ago | Reply Pakistan has the worst image in the world currently, its seen as a rogue country A refugee from Syria is welcomed in the west but a businessman from Pakistan is detested. Its citizens need to stand upto to its army & stop this mideval nonsense
Iqbal | 7 years ago | Reply People all over the world are against us not because of India but our own deeds. Hope we can learn this time
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ