The writer is Executive Editor of The Express Tribune
Even so, how could I, if I were an Indian, believe Pakistan’s charge against my troops or Islamabad’s denial of New Delhi’s charge against its soldiers after having seen my country betrayed by Islamabad in Kargil and then ambushed in Mumbai? And how could an Indian forget and forgive the attack on its parliament or forget and forgive the ignominy of being blackmailed into releasing, from its prison, Pakistani jihadi leaders — like Maulana Masood Azhar and Ahmed Omar Sheikh, the killer of Daniel Pearl — by hijacking an Indian airliner when we cannot forget and forgive the ignominy of our Dhaka defeat at the hands of the Indian Army?
Knowing the peculiar mindset of a particular group of Pakistanis, I cannot bring myself not to suspect its hand in managing, once again, to cause what appears to be a serious setback to the normalisation process. This group, perhaps, sincerely believes that it is not in the national interest of Pakistan to have normal relations with India ever or at least not until New Delhi vacates ‘our’ Kashmir. The signature of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is clearly imprinted on the beheading episode of an Indian soldier, if that is what has actually happened. Just the other day, we witnessed the horrific spectacle of 21 beheaded bodies of our security personnel kidnapped earlier by the TTP. I cannot accept that either our army, or India’s, would ascend to such heights of brutality and inhuman conduct.
Kargil happened (May 1999) within three months of former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Lahore yatra, followed by the signing of the Lahore Declaration (February 1999), which promised to put the bitterness of Partition behind and establish good neighbourly relations. The hijacking, which occurred in December 1999, appeared as a kind of ‘notice’ served on India by the Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf. Another ‘notice’ was served through a daring attack on the Indian Parliament (December 2001) to impress upon the Indians that despite Afghanistan, Rawalpindi was still India-centric. Mumbai happened (November 26, 2008) within a week of President Asif Ali Zardari’s declaration on November 22, 2008 that Pakistan was ready to commit to no first use of nuclear weapons against India and that Pakistan’s economy would not be overwhelmed by the larger, more developed Indian economy if we accorded MFN status to India. And this month’s bloody LoC incident happened within a week of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s realistic assertion that he saw the internal threat as a bigger one than the external threat.
It was General (retd) Musharraf who had shown this insane jihad brigade in Pakistan how to play the spoiler whenever it saw the normalisation process entering a decisive phase. With the First Use Option in hand, he ambushed India in Kargil, knowing very well that India would not dare cross the international border as it did in 1965 when we did not have the bomb. And since then, every adventurer worth the name has challenged the might of India with dirty tricks. But in the process, we have not only lost international support for our Kashmir case, but we have also nudged a frightened US, our friend number one, closer to our enemy number one — India. The two are cosying up and expanding their trade and economic relations, as well as joining hands on the nuclear front. On the other hand, today, we are friendless. Nobody believes us. And globally, everyone is worried about the Bomb falling in the hands of the likes of Musharraf.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2013.
COMMENTS (56)
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@Razi
"Try criticizing them, even mildly, and see the likes of observer and gp65, not to mention their entire cohort, go on a rampage."
Only two? There is a horde of them and they hunt in pack. How can you forget G Din, mahakalchakra, Observer, Another North Indian, Brute force, Yoghurt Lover, Arijit Sharma, Nitish, Abhi, polpot and then the occasional sundries. Be that as it may, but please don't give up on Indians. Who knows, that they wouldn't be inspired by this article and become introspective? I am really hopeful looking at their undiluted admiration of the author's candour. Until then we can amuse ourselves by the self righteous pedagogy they display on every 2nd page of ET 24X7.
Have you ever wondered what they would have done with their life, if there was no ET.
Excellent article...Hats off to u Sir...
I have yet to come across a single Indian engaging in the kind of "introspection" that they so lavishly praise the author for. No one on this forum and absolutely no one in Indian newspapers. And the response here has been so very predictable. Write anything negative about Pakistan and the Indians will flock to praise and support you. Try criticizing them, even mildly, and see the likes of observer and gp65, not to mention their entire cohort, go on a rampage.
@antony: However Beheading our soldiers and not shooting back is one of your country men’s speciality barkha dutt ndtv's anchor wrote an article in a nepalese magazine in 2001 in which she claims she was shown a beheaded body of a pakistani soldier by an indian army officer.....praveen swami told karan thapar on jan 10 on his show that two pakistani soldiers were beheaded by indian special forces last year.....so cut the indain army is mother teresa crap
@1984: you should go watch karan thapar's program on jan10 on cnn-ibn website...his guests are Praveen swami(editor of the hindu) and najam sethi....najam sethi points out that it was barkha dutt who wrote an article in a nepalese magazine in which she claims to have seen the beheaded body of a pakistani soldier kept as a trophy by the indian unit commander during the kargil war...also parveen swami points out that last year two pakistani soldiers were beheaded by indian special forces
The whole column is based on the premise that on the other side of the border of Mr. Zia's country there is a very friendly and civilised nation which has always been eager and patient to whatever these Pakistanis have ever been doing to them.... That civilised country helped East Pakistanis to get their 'rights' That civilised country is also 'helping' Balochis to have the right of their self determination. That civilised country have given real freedom to Kashmiris In that highly civilised country, the minorities have equal rights and opportunities!!
I don't know that whether this column is un/patriotic but I do believe that its based on a number of false premises and authors' self-structured illusions.
A good dishonest analysis of the whole situation!!!
@Malik: "While I appreciate the courage to write such a column, the author failed to expose excesses committed by Pakistan obsessed hate groups on India, where even a sport event like the women cricket match venue in India became an issue"
No one harmed the women cricketers did they? The issue here is not the risk that the women cricketers themselves pose. It is a question of sending a message to Pakistani decisionmakes (political and military) that India will not just go by the soothing words from the politicians to determine the quality of relationship, it wll observe the facts on the ground. This is a non-violent way of registering a protest against the fact that Pakistani army facilitates the infiltration of jihadists into India. Can you show me an alternative way where India can show through its actions (not just words which are readily ignored) that India has taken a note of Pakistan's behavior and it disapproves of the actions?
By no means is it hate mongering, it is a nonviolent protest.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/KaranThapar/The-lines-of-control/Article1-995289.aspx somebody asked for the link of karan thapars editorial.
@Khurram The Muhajir: You still havent provided the links from Hindu paper as requested....
I fully appreciate the author for penning this apt analysis. There are few in Pakistan who want to hear the truth as they have been fed with hatred and inaccuracies in their text-books and the establishments too feed them with lies which over the years become gospel truth for them. In one of the article on ET an author mentioned that Italy is doing well economically despite rampant corruption in this country whereas he could have even quoted India but that could not have gone well with the Pakistanis. The deep state who has been responsible for putting obstacles in normalising of relations between the two countries in the past must realise that these rhetorics which are only self serving have not helped Pakistan move forward whereas India has moved ahead by at least 15 years. The need of the hour for Pakistan is to address its internal security problems and if the same not done urgently would lead to an anarchy in the whole state.
While I appreciate the courage to write such a column, the author failed to expose excesses committed by Pakistan obsessed hate groups on India, where even a sport event like the women cricket match venue in India became an issue. Have we forgotten the role of a serving Indian Col in killings of muslims travelling in a train in Gujrat and role of Mody. The fact is that vested interests in both countries benefit from the tension between both countries, although peace would be beneficial for people living on both sides of the border. Yes we have our share of such evil men who embarked upon Kargil, but so does India have similar war mongers. For peace to prevail, sanity must prevail on both sides. Shiv Sena a terrorist organization holds power in Bombay and Maharashter, while no such terrorist group in Pakistan has ever got elected or held power.
As always.... 10 times more Indian in the comments section than Pakistanis
A very well written atricle showing those facts which we tend to deny every time.
@Khurram The Muhajir: Nevermind the fact that the Indian newspaper The Hindu reported an Indian journalist has personally seen severred heads of Pakistani soldiers saved as trophies by the Indian army, ITS JUST PAKISTAN ARMY THAT MUST BE AT FAULT!
Could you please provide links for that??? I've been reading 'The Hindu' paper daily for past 15 years.Would you please brush up what I missed ???
When u make such allegations,its better for u to provide some evidence to back it up.
P.S. Please dont provide links from Pakistankakhudahafiz or from Zaid Hamid's home page
" An Unpatriotic Column" is true to its content. The editor delibrately mentioned less of indian actions against Pakistan than it did on India from pakistan. He forgot to mention Indian supported insurgency in Baluchistan, Hotel bombing in Peshawar before Mumbai, Samjhota express carnage, mass killings in Gujrat and Kashmir, forgot the mass activation of Indian armed forces on its westren boders in gen Zias time, Siachin, blocking our water, threatning atomic War in 1998 before Pakistan herself responded. Further, comparing the small violations of LOC to Kargil is obviously an attempt to draw conclusions which are far from reality. The current LOC escalation started with Indian actions on Jan 6 and not by Pakistan. The Editor should have at least read " Editorial" from " The Hindu" which acknowledged that current escalation started on Jan 6 not on Jan 8. The "tit for tat" actions between India and Pakistan on LOC have been continuing since 1971. The Pakistani people by and large want good relations with India. However sentiment on indian side is not clear. By reading comments on this website, it appears that India as anation has not made a decision to normalize things with its neighbours. So please be realistic and dont be myopic in your analysis. We expect better from you.
I would like to draw attention of respected author to the incident during kargil when few Pakistani soldiers were beheaded and one of the head was placed over a tree top. Where indian journals would visit and see the 'fate' of a Pakistani soldier themselves. (if you need me to quote the incident in more depth, i can do that). Not to mention many incidents related to Mukti Banni when innocent Muslims and later on our solider bodies were mutilated in hands of indians.
What would be the reaction of the worthy author if his neighbours kill his children infront of his own eyes? Especially when those neighbours had promised the author of excellent relations.. I can use the word "children" for our Jawans who lost their precious lives in hands of indians unannounced violation of cease fire on Sunday a couple of weeks ago. And the "author" can be replaced with all those soldiers/JCOs/Officers who witnessed indian army unprovoked firing which resulted into killing of our two Jawans.
By the way, for all those who consider bashing their own country's ISI and Army as a task of 'elevation', let me remind you all that indian forces CROSSED LoC and then killed our jawan/s in Bagh sector. What the author and worthy audience were expecting in retaliation? A bouquet of flowers?
Having said above, i am for normalisation of relations between two arch rivals. But enough of ISI/Army phobia amongst our worthy media authors/anchors, who consider it a 'daring task' while publishing such articles. Infact they are just publishing half truth, which is much more bitter then a 'lie'. Lets have better relation without faking out with 'aman ki asha'.
//I cannot accept that India’s army, would ascend to such heights of brutality and inhuman conduct.//
Nevermind the fact that the Indian newspaper The Hindu reported an Indian journalist has personally seen severred heads of Pakistani soldiers saved as trophies by the Indian army, ITS JUST PAKISTAN ARMY THAT MUST BE AT FAULT!
@surtee: get a life man..
The Pakistani public should not label anyone unpatriotic without thinking.If you don't like the message, don't shoot the messenger.The news is going to be bad and negative for a long time to come and the media will have report it.Since 1947, instead of nation building the whole focus has been on bleeding India with a thousand cuts.Even now if the establishment in Pakistan refocuses on the welfare of 180 million people the media can report some positive news.
@Rakib: "The will to negotiate should overcome all challenges. 50 years of continuously comfortable peace & this subcontinent would have pulled millions out of misery."
That would be ideal. But until Pakistan continues to foment jihadi terror, any number of peace treaties signed formally by the politicians, will not deliver the peace dividend to India. This is why increasingly Indians feel it is better to disengage with Pakistan than to pursue a formal peace that never seems to translate into reality because Pakistan continues the use of non-state actors.
@Lala Gee: From Junagadh, Hyderabad Deccan, Bhopal, Kashmir, East Pakistan. Siachen, Goa, Sikim, Sri Lanka
As I fail to see the common thread in all this. Let me analyse the commonalities.
A. Junagadh, Hyderabad, Bhopal- Probably you are referring to the fact that the Muslim rulers of these Principalities ran away to Pakistan with their treasure. Now if the people of these principalities also wanted to follow the rulers to Pakistan, they could have. The fact that they did not should tell you something.
B. Kashmir- Pakistan tried to wrest Pakistan from the ruler Maharaja Hari Singh by attacking Kashmir. This prompted the Maharaja to sign the instrument of accession in order to obtain Indian security. The matter went to UN and UN resolution provided for plebiscite after Pakistan and Pakistanis had vacated the territory of J&K. Pakistan is yet to fulfill this precondition.
C. Siachen The LOC agreement gives Siachen and in fact the Saltoro ridge too to India. Try plotting a line True North (0 Degree) from NJ 9842 and see for yourself. So your grouse is entirely misplaced. Have a quarrel with your cartographers if you want.
D. Goa, Sikkim Sri Lanka- i admit I am completely flummoxed. I cant imagine what kind of claim Pakistan has to Goa, Sikkim and Sri Lanka,other than your desire to eliminate Christians and Budhists from the face of this earth. By the way have the Sri Lankan cricketers recovered from their trauma?
Well,well. Rubbing salt in the wounds. The smarties who carry out nuclear test codenamed "Buddha is smiling" and call their counter espionage outfit "Research and Analysis Wing" have not thought straight for a couple of thousands of years. Come on Ziauddin. What are you trying to prove?
@Lala Gee:
I have recently stopped commenting in these forums
That's so mighty decent of you, Sir.
It would have been really great had you stayed 'stopped' in this instance too.
Do oblige, Good Sir.
@Lala Gee: I agree with you although your statements are only negative about India instead of saying something constructive or nice about Pakistan. You make us feel there there is really nothing nice to be said about Pakistan : I suspect you are an Indian troll really. That aside, fact is that the most progress Pakistan made was under Ayub Khan and Musharraf. In most fields we are far better than Somaila and Mali and we are a nuclear power. If we follow Islam and are disciplined we will progress. I therefore endorse Military rule and Shariah for Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad !
"because he was piqued by his team’s loss in the One-Day Internationals against Pakistan and in the rush of blood, started shooting across the Line of Control killing a Pakistani soldier. " Brilliant analysis... In most real life analysis we dont know what caused what but accurately judging the nature of the beast and predicting few scenarios as causes will help in decision making to move forward.. This scenario is believable if a bullet from our side has killed one of your soldiers as a trigger. However Beheading our soldiers and not shooting back is one of your country men's speciality which is the cause of anger in Indian mass and nothing else! .If the same news is two Indian soldiers were killed in cross fire in LOC , you wont see Indian media showing interest in Day 2.
@M Ziauddin
I dont know why u label urself as unpatriotic..Remember
Dissent is the highest form of patriotism
Only a person who loves his country the most has the audacity to point out its faults...Hitler'S Germany showed people what will happen if every citizen thumps his chest and decides to obey the rules of govt without questioning...
I'm a vocal critic of Gandhi's ideology,that doesnt mean that I'm unpatriotic..Besides,there are many people who are in my side and they dont feel threatened by their stand. I think its missing from ur side because no Pakistani is ready to accept Jinnah's flaws and rather defend his actions and blame the current state due to wrong intrepretation of his ideology.
Atleast,u should be happy that u've press freedom in Pakistan,unlike the communist China...Personally,I wouldnt like a golden cage
@PostMan:
Its not whether we Indians and Pakistanis love or hate each other – we just not trust each other. If Kargil is cited then so is Dhaka or Siachin. I don’t know whether ‘You did the latest!‘ counts.
Words of due caution & practical wisdom! Till trust is built up the two almost-strangers living cheek-by-jowl will have to learn from Reagan & Gorbachev & the Russian proverb made famous by them: Davehr'yay, noh praver'yay (Trust but Verify). Talks will restart but incidents, the real ugly ones included, will not cease instantly. They will have to be investigated with professional objectivity. The will to negotiate should overcome all challenges. 50 years of continuously comfortable peace & this subcontinent would have pulled millions out of misery.
@Lala Gee:
Lala Gee ji,
Do you have any sense, sir?
You write "From Junagadh, Hyderabad Deccan, Bhopal, Kashmir, East Pakistan. Siachen, Goa, Sikim, Sri Lanka, How come you are unable to see these Mount Everests of Indian crimes. "
What the heck have these got to do with Pakistan? Why these things would be discussed when it comes to discussing the relationship between India-Pakistan?
"How could you forget Ayodhya, Bombay, and Gujrat massacres and not to know the findings of Sachar Commission Report."
How are India's internal matters relevant to Pakistan's army policy? If they are, then you are army needs to change its policy.
"You remember Bombay and Indian Parliament attacks, but forget what carnage is happening in Baluchistan and elsewhere in Pakistan on daily basis during last 10 years."
In Balochistan and elsewhere muslims are killing muslims. What has that got to do with India? Are you saying that Ummah is a lie? That some muslims are taking money from kafirs to kill their muslim brothers?
"You also don’t seem to know the real sponsors of ‘Mukti Bahini’, LTTE, and TNA. You remember Kargil, but does not know the Siachen glacier."
I don't know the technicalities of Siachen but Mukti Bahini was a result of your army's atrocities.
And as far as LTTE is concerned, there is a lot to be discussed, but I would rather do that with a SriLankan than an ill-informed Pakistani.
Author Kudos for writing on sensitive topic in mature way.And I feel regret that once again Indian government succumbs to internal pressures.
This is a courageously written article making an objective assessment of the trajectory of Indo-Pak relations over the last decade or so. At the end of the day, we need truth and reconciliation on the events of the past and move towards a better collective future. If France and Germany who fought centuries of battles could agree to cooperate economically, we can do so too in this region. Let us leave the history of conflicts behind us. Our people deserve better and they can achieve this only through cooperation and collaboration. We have to change the military discourse and saber-rattling to a discourse on opening new universities, creating businesses, boosting health indices and spreading technology among the masses.
A Star rating for this piece. If Pakistan keeps needling India every other year then one of the needles might cause more pain than the Indian body can absorb. That might trigger a response that might trigger counter responses and before long the situation might become unmanageable. India may also develop capabilities to pay Pakistan back in their own coin particularly where Pakistan is vulnerable or sensitive. The way forward is to live in peace and make efforts to generate confidence with each other. War is never good for any nation. It can be particularly devastating for India and Pakistan. There are no friends in the international equations. Pakistanis treat China and US as if they are close friends living in the same street and expect return favours for every little thing. As long as interests of nations coincide they will help but beyond that there are no free lunches. Pakistani society better learn that lesson quickly. India does not need this lesson as they never had any close relationships in the international arena.
Ejaz's article is more patriotic though.
Let us hope collective wisdom prevails and glorious path awaits us.
I have recently stopped commenting in these forums due to incoherent arbitrary moderation standards. However, I am so appalled by this show of shallow knowledge by such a senior person like the author that I am compelled to take a chance and hope that my time wouldn't be wasted by some moderator of similar understanding. While compiling a charge sheet against Pakistan, you completely ignored the crimes of India, the main reason you were able to write this balderdash. Where should I start? From Junagadh, Hyderabad Deccan, Bhopal, Kashmir, East Pakistan. Siachen, Goa, Sikim, Sri Lanka, How come you are unable to see these Mount Everests of Indian crimes. How could you forget Ayodhya, Bombay, and Gujrat massacres and not to know the findings of Sachar Commission Report. You remember Bombay and Indian Parliament attacks, but forget what carnage is happening in Baluchistan and elsewhere in Pakistan on daily basis during last 10 years. You also don't seem to know the real sponsors of 'Mukti Bahini', LTTE, and TNA. You remember Kargil, but does not know the Siachen glacier. I don't know what else you don't know, but still you think you have the right to charge sheet the whole nation. And here you are, to show and prove to your Indian visitors, how liberal you are. Does not matter if it comes at the cost of acting "Unpatriotic".
I read article in one breath. Kudos to author for good research skills. Good corelations, cuase and effect examples. Change occurs with identifying the problem correctly like correct diagnosis is important for treatment. Author has diagnosed the problem correctly.
@PostMan:
I don’t know whether ‘You did the latest!‘ counts.
Does 'You did the first' count. Remember the Great Kabaili Export of October 1947? And before blaming India for BD, please remember there was a general election and someone won that election.
Kudos to the Editor for an objective assessment and having the fortitude to look through the eyes of a traditional enemy. . I only wish that the Pakistan government had assuaged the fears of Indians the same way you did. . Not to nitpick too much, but you mention: With the First Use Option in hand, he (Musharraf) ambushed India in Kargil, knowing very well that India would not dare cross the international border as it did in 1965 when we did not have the bomb. . This is not true. If the nukes India possessed did not dissuade Musharraf from attacking India, certainly the nukes Pakistan possessed would also not have dissuaded India. On the other hand, India intentionally did not violate the LOC in difficult terrain at considerable loss of soldiers' lives and legitimized the LOC internationally as can be seen by the response from Bill Clinton, China, Europe and other countries. This subsequently allowed India to fence the LOC. . Also if you look back over the past 65 years, there were 4 wars, numerous skirmishes and many attacks such as the Parliament attack, but none have created the same pain nor affected the Indian psyche as much as the Mumbai attacks have. However Pakistan's continued nonchalance towards the perpetrators of this attack and the establishment's insensitive comments show us every day that they have no idea of the deep anger felt by ordinary Indians.
An Indian mind cannot be portrayed better. The last line is the punch.
A great article and an honest introspection. @Khalid Iqbal - "US, our friend number one - Laugh? Cry?? Do not know!" - When your rulers collected $22 Billion, were they laughing or crying???
Wow sir - I really have no words. In fact, my first sense of dismay growing up was the television images of the terrorists post the hijacking being greeted in Pakistan as heroes and I was wondering how Pakistan is not arresting these men known to have commiitted crimes albeit in India.
Unfortunately, you are alone sir. And I do believe you are a true Pakistani patriot.
Dear author, I hate to say this but you could well have earned yourself a place on the "hit-list" of the TTP or even the "Deep State" of your esteemed country by writing this article -- the content of which is perfectly spot-on. If only there were more honest people like you in Pakistan (wielding the "real power") things would be very different between our two countries. But anyway, many thanks for the article and please take care, and watch your back wherever you go!
Dear Sir, yours is definitely one of the most patriotic columns I have read on both sides of the border after the latest LOC skirmish. There are hawkish elements on both sides who do not want to see the normalization of relations as that would render them inconsequential in the long run. Besides there is electronic media, forever ready to rake up emotions with exaggerated narratives and charged debates for higher TRPs, competing to sound more concerned and patriotic. In this cacophony of heightened emotions, vitriol and jingoism only few sincere politicians, journalists, columnists or tv anchors have the courage to advocate for peace and de-escalation. I do understand an average Pakistani’s frustration with the inept and corrupt political class, unabated terrorism, un-accountable military establishment, power outages, economic meltdown etc and also exasperation at continuous remonstrance of Indians. Considering all problems of an average Pakistani, however trivial the LOC skirmish may sound, as an Indian I would still urge the peace seeking Pakistani citizens to understand Indian point of view, the kind of outrage an average Indian is feeling at the desecration of the body of an Indian soldier. The way this narrative has build up over the years since Kargil, average Indian is getting increasingly frustrated with Politicians and the projected perpetrators (Pakistani non-state actors) to such an extent that even a mild episode has the potential to totally undo all that has been achieved through series of dialogues and CBMs. It is high time that besides political class, the civil society, independent think tanks, artists, business groups etc. should come forward on both sides of the border to form a formidable alliance to influence the policy making in their respective countries to ensure peace and good neighborly relations. Peace.
Both sides have some sort of mentally-retarded fundamentalists for whom normalization is a call to arms. BJP-RSS in India and Pakistani Army in Pakistan. Unfortunately, all those nice gestures are now drowned and dirty voices for war is coming from India. Democratically-elected but hopelessly-failed government of Pakistan can do nothing except re-initiate the peace process. It would serve our purpose of friendly relations and happy trade.
Thanks for making me believe that most of the Pakistanis know the truth..but are in denial mode..from way to long..
This column is more or less a direct reply to Ejaz Haider's. Hope he reads it.
It needs courage to state the facts which many refuse to see. The narrative created that India is destabilizing Pakistan when its own military has done the job. Non State actors were created, trained, armed and financed not just to hurt neighbors, more importantly they were used as proxies to eliminate ideological opponents, keep the Polity disoriented and divided as well as to suppress ethnic uprisings of Nationalists. The clergy were a very important component of this endeavour because without a process of radicalization the scheme would have been a failure. The democratic Governments were hobbled so effectively that they could not succeed in reforming the Educational curriculum to eliminate hate and bigotry.
The story that India broke the country into two by liberating Bangladesh was also a well spun one. The refugee spillover from 1971 was so grave that the demographics in neighboring West Bengal and Assam changed permanently. Today West Bengal has 30% Muslims and Assam 25%, when in neither state Muslim population exceeded 15% at Independence. Such nuances are lost on the ignorant and uneducated. Indian army does not deserve any credit for liberation of Bangladesh, Bengali's would have succeeded without any help either --- the toll instead of being around 1 million, could have crossed 5 million and all the 90,000 Pakistani POW's would have been massacred. India did not do the Bengali's any favour, they simply took care of their own interests.considering the burden they would have had to carry.
Brilliant article. Pakistanis should really pay heed to this message. Accepting your weakness will not make you small neither it will make Indians look great. In fact correcting your weakness and getting rid of terrorists elements may even catapult Pakistan ahead of India in almost every field.
I would term this a Patriotic Column simply because a patriot reveals the truth and not the convenient truth ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Agreed. If you were an Indian, you would/should not trust what Pakistan states. Turn the tables. If you were to think like a Pakistani, would you trust Indians? Nobody does quite frankly.
Its not whether we Indians and Pakistanis love or hate each other - we just not trust each other. If Kargil is cited then so is Dhaka or Siachin. I don't know whether 'You did the latest!' counts. Its the trust factor that needs to be addressed and considering how Indians reacted to recent LOC flare up.. a lot needs to be done. But it has to be done if we want to eradicate the hidden hand, whether in Pakistan or India, that springs surprises to destabilize peace.
There no way out other than that.
Laugh? Cry?? Do not know!
Thank you. I hope Ijaz Haider reads your OpEd.
Pakistani people are good people, and let me as an Indian tell you so are Indian people also good people (though Pakistanis may dislike us Hindus) We are sorry for the deaths of Pakistani jawans and hope 2013 is a year when no more soldiers from either side lose their lives on the Line of Control.
As an Indian I believe Pakistan is a great country... with great people... Muhajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochis, Chitralis and Pakhtuns... with the best express highway, better than any Indian highway, the LAHORE-PESHAWAR MOTORWAY... and the best planned, cleanest city compared to any Indian city ISLAMABAD... these are great achievements of Pakistan and the Pakistani people... we Indians will never agree with the NAZARIA of Pakistan or its non-secular laws etc., but we should appreciate the good things about Pakistan and learn from them... Pakistan Payendabad. May 2013 be a year of peace and prosperity for Pakistan... most Indian people always wish the best for Pakistani people. We can't change history but we can change the future :-)