The writer is former Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Karachi and can be reached at amoonis@hotmail.com
Today, France and Germany are living as peaceful neighbours and their borders, which were highly militarised for decades, transformed as “soft borders”. Both France and Germany are the core members of the European Union and their unity plays a pivotal role in maintaining peace and stability in Europe.
On the other hand India and Pakistan, despite having rich cultures and centuries-old civilisation, are in a sustained state of hostility and conflict. While the Franco-German model of peace cannot be replicated in the case of India and Pakistan, one can yet identify some of the concepts which can be useful in the case of striving for a better future in South Asia.
France and Germany had fought World War-I and World War-II in which millions of people were killed. Yet the two adversaries took practical steps to mend fences and eliminate the roots of conflicts which, since 1871 till the end of World War-II, were responsible for millions of deaths. By focusing on meaningful interaction between the youths of the two countries, the French and German leadership made sure that the history textbooks responsible for promoting hate images should be rewritten and focus should be on transforming the mindset which in the past was responsible for decades of hate and hostility. Today, France and Germany are the pillars of the European Union, and the positive role of the leadership of the two former enemies has enabled their people to live in peace with high quality of life and vibrant economies.
Without Franco-German reconciliation, peace in Europe would have been a pipedream. Similarly, in the absence of normalisation in Indo-Pak relations, peace in South Asia is impossible. One can figure out three reasons as to why the role of the leadership of India and Pakistan is vital for a prosperous future of 1.6 billion people of South Asia. First, a leadership, if pursuing a negative approach and if its mindset is based on paranoia, can never dismantle the walls of suspicion, mistrust and ill will. Unfortunately, since August 1947 till today, the leadership of India and Pakistan has failed to pursue a positive approach in order to resolve issues which have been a cause of three wars and several armed conflicts. If there were two steps forward, there were also four steps backwards as far as the goal of peace is concerned. It is the culture of negativity, paranoia, hostility, mistrust and suspicion prevailing in India and Pakistan which tends to derail efforts for mending fences.
Forces of retrogression, status quo and hostility in the two countries represent a mindset which in order to protect their vested interest wants to subvert any effort for peace. Past endeavours to resolve contentious issues ranging from the Liaquat-Nehru pact of April 1950, the Indus Water Treaty of September 1960, the Tashkent declaration of January 1966, the Simla Pact of July 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of February 1999 failed to bring a qualitative and positive change in Indo-Pak relations and the two countries reverted to the state of hostility and confrontation. It means that the leadership of the two countries failed to keep the momentum in the process of peace and became a hostage of hardliners who sabotaged efforts for reconciliation and conflict resolution.
Second, unlike the leadership of France and Germany which pursued a clear and visionary approach to proceed with the process of peace, those at the helm of affairs in India and Pakistan lack the ability and courage to take steps which can ensure a win-win situation and positively resolve contentious issues. Justice and fairness with the hope for a better future must be the focus of the leadership of India and Pakistan so that they do not carry the baggage of bitter past and hostile present. If the leadership of France and Germany expressed substantial political will and determination to mend fences, such a requirement is missing in the case of India and Pakistan.
Without political will and determination no contentious issue can be amicably resolved. When the leadership of India and Pakistan became a victim of ego and parochial mindset, it was futile to expect political prudence and wisdom from them. Instead of taking into account issues of poverty, illiteracy, water and energy crisis along with the threats emanating from climate change, the leadership of India and Pakistan failed to take cognizance of the situation and sustained the state of hostility and conflict. Finally, the absence of maturity and wisdom shaped the mindset of those who are in the positions of power. Although, Germany was defeated during World War-II, France treated its former foe with respect and magnanimity. The 1963 Elyse treaty was a case in point where France, despite winning the war, agreed to work with the leadership of West Germany for peace in Europe. In the Simla Pact of July 1972, India acted wisely and reached an agreement with the defeated Pakistan, but the attitude of New Delhi in the post-1971 war remained unchanged. Particularly, during the BJP regime, arrogance and false pride shaped the Indian mindset which categorised Pakistan as an enemy state which should be weakened. Immature and imprudent approach pursued by the Indian leadership derailed Indo-Pak peace process and made matters worse.
When history will be written while identifying the causes of hostile and bitter relations between India and Pakistan, to a large extent the Indian leadership, particularly those at the helm of affairs now, will be held responsible for plunging billion plus people of South Asia in a perpetual state of poverty, illiteracy and social backwardness because resources which should have been utilised for human development are diverted for militarisation. The huge escalation in the Indian defense budget is a case in point which ignores millions of poor in their country.
Certainly, the world will not care about the irresponsible role of the leadership of India if it is involved in war mongering, persecution of religious minorities and carrying out a policy of genocide in IOK. No wonder, on account of such an imprudent approach of New Delhi the outcome is arms race in the region — stagnating the process of SAARC and keeping South Asia behind to cope with serious environmental threats.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2020.
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