(My letter published in "DAWN" of Pakistan on 14th January 2002)
I REFER to the letter of Mr Naeem Sadiq, published in your paper recently and reprinted by the Times of India on Jan 2, 2002. In this letter, the author has blamed the "intellect Supreme Inc." for a wrong Pakistan Afghan policy, and has recommended a clamp-down on the "frozen in the 11th century" gun-toting jihadi organizations, their training camps and their activities in and outside Pakistan. He has also touched upon the need to change the mindset of the people of Pakistan.
I think that the Indians also need to change their mindset!This letter brought to my memory a letter written by me for Jakarta Post a few years ago while participating in a "war of letters" between the Indian and Pakistani expatriates in Indonesia. My views then are so congruent with those expressed by Mr Naeem Sadiq that I would like to repeat a part of that letter for the benefit of my Indian and Pakistani brethren.
We must accept, with a smiling face, certain realities and make peace so that our future generations are better off and do not keep bleeding each other to a slow (but sure) death. We should not spend our national resources to arm ourselves to the teeth but spend them to improve our economic conditions, our infrastructure, our competitiveness.
When I read the economic indices published in Asiaweek and find both India and Pakistan in an ignominious (and unflattering low) position, I feel ashamed and wonder whether this situation will ever change!Many countries have stolen a march over us. We must pause and think whether our children would be ashamed of us for the way we are conducting ourselves during the 50-odd years after the independence. In the enlightened era of tomorrow, this is very likely. After all, we are ashamed of our Kings and Nawabs and their generals of 1700s and 1800s, who fought amongst themselves over petty matters of personal (pseudo-) pride and (pseudo-) honour. They allowed it to take priority over our national pride and honour and offered our country to the British on a proverbial silver platter.
I know that Indians and Pakistanis are similar people, get along famously with each other when they meet abroad, have close friends in each other?s countries and at heart would like to bury this hatchet once for all. I feel that if Israel and neighbouring Arab countries can bury their differences and if the two Germanys can reunite, why can?t we sort out our problems? Why don?t we accept the status quo and forget the past? Follow this up by a TV and media blitz to declare that we are bhai-bhai (which we are) and reverse the way we have misused this blits so far to alienate us!?I think that both Dawn and Times of India, as responsible members of the Pakistani and Indian media, should take a lead to help this happen.
K.B. KALE, Pune, India
I REFER to the letter of Mr Naeem Sadiq, published in your paper recently and reprinted by the Times of India on Jan 2, 2002. In this letter, the author has blamed the "intellect Supreme Inc." for a wrong Pakistan Afghan policy, and has recommended a clamp-down on the "frozen in the 11th century" gun-toting jihadi organizations, their training camps and their activities in and outside Pakistan. He has also touched upon the need to change the mindset of the people of Pakistan.
I think that the Indians also need to change their mindset!This letter brought to my memory a letter written by me for Jakarta Post a few years ago while participating in a "war of letters" between the Indian and Pakistani expatriates in Indonesia. My views then are so congruent with those expressed by Mr Naeem Sadiq that I would like to repeat a part of that letter for the benefit of my Indian and Pakistani brethren.
We must accept, with a smiling face, certain realities and make peace so that our future generations are better off and do not keep bleeding each other to a slow (but sure) death. We should not spend our national resources to arm ourselves to the teeth but spend them to improve our economic conditions, our infrastructure, our competitiveness.
When I read the economic indices published in Asiaweek and find both India and Pakistan in an ignominious (and unflattering low) position, I feel ashamed and wonder whether this situation will ever change!Many countries have stolen a march over us. We must pause and think whether our children would be ashamed of us for the way we are conducting ourselves during the 50-odd years after the independence. In the enlightened era of tomorrow, this is very likely. After all, we are ashamed of our Kings and Nawabs and their generals of 1700s and 1800s, who fought amongst themselves over petty matters of personal (pseudo-) pride and (pseudo-) honour. They allowed it to take priority over our national pride and honour and offered our country to the British on a proverbial silver platter.
I know that Indians and Pakistanis are similar people, get along famously with each other when they meet abroad, have close friends in each other?s countries and at heart would like to bury this hatchet once for all. I feel that if Israel and neighbouring Arab countries can bury their differences and if the two Germanys can reunite, why can?t we sort out our problems? Why don?t we accept the status quo and forget the past? Follow this up by a TV and media blitz to declare that we are bhai-bhai (which we are) and reverse the way we have misused this blits so far to alienate us!?I think that both Dawn and Times of India, as responsible members of the Pakistani and Indian media, should take a lead to help this happen.
K.B. KALE, Pune, India
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