Intellectuals from both countries explore why relations are still tense .PHOTO: COURTESY USHBA PUBLISHING INTERNATIONAL
KARACHI: With the recent escalation of tension at the borders of India and Pakistan, the launch of the book, Back from the Brink: India-Pakistan Ties Revisited, could not have been timed more aptly.
The book, with contributions by intellectuals from both countries, attempts to answer why relationships between the two nations fail to remain smooth and fall prey to perpetual tension.
The book was launched at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology on Wednesday where Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, who chairs the department of social sciences at the university, was credited for compiling and editing the book.
A wide number of experts spoke at the event and came to a consensus - India and Pakistan need to readdress their long-lasting conflicts so that they can move forward towards development and progress.
Speaking on the recent tension between armed forces across the Line of Control, former foreign secretary Najmuddin A Shaikh said that it was unfortunate that certain elements in the Indian media indulged in malicious propaganda, which was neither backed by the Indian army nor by civil officials. In contrast, Shaikh said that the Pakistani press, sensing the fragility of relations between both countries, showed much restraint than that of their counterparts across the border.
According to Karachi University’s Pakistan Study Centre chairperson, Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed, the book discusses the legacy of partition and how to overcome those problems. In his opinion, the nature of the state determines its future direction and that is why, the issues on ideology of Pakistan need to be debated.
A professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Savita Pande, said that the emerging conflicts in the region have the potential to disrupt the peace process between India and Pakistan. “We need to realize that together, Pakistan and India can do so much more - they can bring a vital change in the fate of the people of South Asia.”
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy pointed out that more than 40,000 innocent Pakistanis have been killed by militants and more than 4,000 soldiers have been killed by Talibans. “These figures are more than the number of soldiers killed in all Indo-Pak wars. We need to stop looking for enemies outside and deal with the ones on our land.”
Covering all angles
The book is divided into four thematic sections - the first part is The Partition and State Formation with contributors like Arundhati Roy, Rajeev Bhargava and Hamza Alavi. The second part, Undoing and Barriers, is a historiographical attempt to understand post-partition developments for peace at both sides of the border via Mani Shankar Aiyar, Dr Mubarak Ali and more.
Julian Schofield, Savita Pande, Didier Chaudet and others have written on issues from roles of China and Afghanistan to experimentations on democracy in Pakistan in the third section, New Divergences. The book’s final part, Horizons, is an attempt to identify the solutions for long-lasting peace and coexistence by Aneek Chatterjee, Jai Narain Sharma and Ashu Pasricha.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2013.
COMMENTS (8)
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@G. Din: Unimpressive reply based on falsehood,embellishment and fabrication because Kashmir is the only solution for the comradeship between Pakistan and India and why do you forget it that vast area of Kashmir is illegally and unlawfully occupied by India which is called "Indian Occupied Kashmir" and as far as you this stance is concerned "POK" then remember that Pakistan ain't occupied on Azad Kashmir as you are because Azad Kashmir has its own constitution and laws and Pakistan army's troops are only deployed on LoC so that Indian forces couldn't enter Azad Kashmir and occupy on the remaining part of Kashmir as you have occupied on the other side of Kashmir.And in the last we also want that Azad and Occupied Kashmir both sides have to reunited and declare them a separate and independent Kashmir state and Pakistan and India accept Kashmir as an independent country and respect and honor Kashmir's integrity,sovereignty,constitution and borders like the other independent countries of the world on the world's map without interfering in Kashmir's issues thru any means and manifestations.The simple solution because Kashmir has been never and is not the integral part of India and you are denying this reality and truth repeatedly and has occupied Kashmir on gunpoint and forcibly....
It is clear that nothing meaningful can be done on this by the two countries themselves. Both sides are at fault and both are paranoid and self righteous.
@G. Din: Great reply!
@Clear Black Bag: "First and foremost just resolve the most burning,core,long-awaited and long-standing the “Kashmir” issue ..." You have been told by many why no progress can be made now regarding the so-called "Kashmir" issue but you continue to harp on it every chance you get. You do not express any counter arguments which only indicates that what you mean by the solution is that Kashmir be handed over to Pakistan on a platter. Well, that is never going to happen. Instead, what is likely to happen is that you will lose POK similar to that greedy dog in the Aesop's fable which lost the piece of real meat in his own mouth trying to grab another piece of meat it saw in the mouth of its reflection in the water. We have no problem if you want to destroy yourself in the process. That would be akin to that dog jumping into the running stream. If any help is needed on that score, we will be glad to oblige in any manner required of us!
I did find Arnab goswami shrill but then I asked myself - indians have heard of infiltrations and border skirmishes since 1989 - it was such an everyday occurence that we thought nothing of it. But thanks to Goswami's shrillness, we have suddenly woken up including our apathetic government and decided - enough is enough. Infiltrations wont do, border skirmishes to allow infiltration must stop - we will not tolerate it anymore. You cannot have easing visa regimes with a wink wink policy to miltants wanting to create trouble in india. and ordinary pakistanis should stop considering the head of a poor indian soldier as some sort of ghazi like achievement.
First and foremost just resolve the most burning,core,long-awaited and long-standing the "Kashmir" issue and then move forward and see how easily,peacefully and amicably the other issues between Pakistan and India are resolved and then see what kind of comradeship shall be between Pakistan and India....
Pakistan completely failed to understand the India point of view, 4000 Pakistan soldier and 40000 civilian death in hands of extermist is not due to the India. The extremist are entirely Pakistan creation to appease the US during the Soviets creation and later partonage to destablize India. Every country has pay for the wrong doing and Pakistan is paying and it will, if is does not change its attitude towards India and rest of the world.
it is sad that bitter feeling for each other runs so deep in Indians and Pakistanis that we get easily riled up against the other without any desire to investigate or keep patience. We continue to defend our own no matter how gruesome their act is. Ego and destructive patriotism runs higher than human and moral values. I have seen Indians and Pakistanis doing much better with each other outside in foreign country than they do back in our respective nations, simply because they get to meet each other and realize how much alike we are. May the peace prevail and someday the border becomes transparent between India and pakistan.