Revisiting Perpetuated Pak-India Animosity

Insecurity and injustice stem from corruption and failed political leadership. India opted for institutional development to avoid military interventions; Pakistanis, on the other hand, got derailed in the name of change and national development by continuous military coups and foreign alliances to survive. British colonialism – lasting a few decades – divided and ruled the Indian subcontinent, and history keeps on repeating itself for continued insecurity, internal political intrigues and foolish sectarian actions to discard reason for unreasoning. The British abdicated the Subcontinent in a hurry, fearing the Nazi Germany onslaught during WWII, which caused ethnic divides and killings in the name of freedom and sociopolitical identities. While India claims secularism in its constitutional intent but flourishes as a Hindu-dominated democracy as its nationalistic basis, Pakistan lost its ideological point of reference, having several coups and conspiratorial regime changes; thus, it never ushered in a fair system of political governance to ensure its integrity and survival. Some 15 years earlier, when I wrote “Pakistan at a Crossroads”, I sounded the alarm to thinking people as to how people with wrong thinking were doing the wrong things across Pakistan. Sadistic leaders are a problem. Perpetuated animosity serves domestic political agendas and ballot boxes.

To learn from history, newly independent Indian and Pakistani states and their respective leaders needed objectively grounded reasons to reconstruct their societies for political change, freedom and friendship. Its dynamics should have envisaged proactive vision and creative leadership pursuing emancipation of peace and harmony over animosity. The State of Jammu and Kashmir is at the heart of all political and strategic problems which characterize the nature of relationships between the two nuclear rivals. Under PM Narendra Modi, India is tainted by Hindu nationalism and its ideological and normative connotations and supremacy of thoughts. But its unilateral claim on the people of Kashmir negates the British constitutional act of freedom for both states and does not have the characteristics of truth, wisdom and honesty to assert moral and intellectual justification.

Ignorant, irresponsible and egoistic politicians blame others for their own faults, and never dare see the mirror. Societies and nations overtaken by greed and insane leaders would find excuses to claim fair is foul and foul is fair. Pakistan lost several decades of precious time and opportunities for nation-building, unity in socio-economic-political diversity and a peaceful system of transfer of power to elected people. Critical problems of national harmony, peace and unity surge in Balochistan and Khyber Pakthunwa provinces. Bombing and killing of innocent people would not bring political change; only intelligent leaders of vision and integrity could restore Islamic values of unity and societal harmonization.