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INDO – PAK Relations : A Fresh Look || BY ASHWANI KUMAR CHRUNGOO || LIVE IMAGE |
In view of the latest developments regarding the subject
under discussion, the Centre for Peace and Progress, for the last a couple of
months, organized a series of webinars in connection with the release of the
much awaited book titled ‘In pursuit of peace: Improving Indo-Pak relations’.
The book carries 50 articles on the topic of Indo-Pak relations contributed by
well known public figures in India and Pakistan. The webinars referred above
were attended by an impressive number of politicians, civil society activists
and former diplomats from India and Pakistan. Latest in the series was the
webinar held on 12 February 2022 on the topic, Improving Indo-Pak relations.
This important series of webinars was attended by a
galaxy of prominent persons from India and Pakistan. Some of these dignitaries
also spoke on the related occasions. These included Navreen Ibrahim, Pak MP,
Farooq Abdullah, Yashwant Sinha, Khursheed Mohd Kasoori, O P Shah, Ashwani
Kumar Chrungoo, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Praveen Davar, Prof. Gopi
Krishen Mujoo, Manjit Singh, Balbir Punj, Tathagat Roy, Qazi Ashraf, Abdul
Basit, Javed Jabbar, Sudheendra Kulkarni, Muzaffar Shah, Salim Engineer, Harish
Narayan, Musheer Hussain, D.K.Khajuria, Mani Shankar Aiyer, Kapil Kak, Mohd.
Yusuf Tarigami, Ashok Bhan, A.M.Watali, Anis Haroon, N.D.Pancholi, Hussam Ul
Haq and Dr. Sunilam.
The 320 page book released earlier has been edited by
O.P.Shah. Articles in the book have been contributed by the following, among
others: Balbir Punj, Farooq Abdullah, A.S.Dulat, Abdul Basit, Ashwani Kumar
Chrungoo, A.M.Watali, Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safaivi, Ashok Bhan, Hamid Mir,
Yashwant Sinha, Mani Shanker Aiyar, Syed Nazir Gilani, Qazi Ashraf, M.M.Ansari,
Ramesh Dixit, Salim Engineer, Salman Khurshid, Satinder K Lambah, Ved Pratap
Vaidik, Suneel Wattal, Talat Masood, Sudheendra Kulkarni, Mohd Hamid Ansari,
Bilal Bashir Bhat and Anis Haroon.
While speaking in the Webinar, Balbir Punj said that the
relations between India and Pakistan should not be dependent upon the whims and
fancies of a few among the elite of the respective countries. India bashing by
Pakistan can’t lead to an ideal scenario. The mind-set against each other will
also not pave way for peace and good relations. Pakistan will have to come out
of a thousand-cut mind-set against India. Unimaginable losses to the society in
Kashmir, death and destruction or mayhem therein are not Pakistan’s headache
since it is convinced with the ideology of ‘Jehad’ in Kashmir and the terror
being one of its inseparable part.
Farooq Abdullah said that the society and the governments
will have to come together to create a consensus in favour of good Indo-Pak
relations. When all this madness of hatred is going on, Pakistan and India
should behave sensibly. In such a scenario, it is the paramount duty of the
society at large to respond to this situation and create a peaceful atmosphere
between the two neighbouring countries. Surely, talks have no alternative.
Khursheed Mohd Qasuri was of the opinion that
Vajpayee-time diplomacy between the two nations brought an atmosphere of peace
and brotherhood between the two nations. Such an atmosphere is the need of the
hour. While it is appreciated that the intellectuals and well meaning people in
both the countries want peace, however such a scenario requires social cushion
to the governments as an additional instrument that can help the situation
greatly.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed in his remarks said that
there is currently no constituency in Pakistan which is supportive of war with
India. In fact a number of steps were undertaken by the Pakistan government
after the last military ceasefire between the two countries last year including
allowing a huge humanitarian supply of wheat by India to Afghanistan through
Pakistan. The new Security policy is also an encouraging area to move forward
towards creating an environment for dialogue.
This author also made a presentation on the topic and
maintained that it was always easy and also a fashion to criticize the
governments and administration for failures to curb terrorism. What needs to be
acknowledged is that the state of Pakistan has been deeply involved in abetting
and supporting the cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir for the last
more than three decades.
Terrorism unfortunately had been its state policy and
also an inseparable part of its foreign policy viz a viz India. Terror regime
won’t reconcile to peace on borders so easily. Therefore, it will continue the
cycle of terror despite heavy losses of men, material and other logistics even
on the soil of its generators. Pakistan has to dismantle the whole terror
structure if it wants serious talks with India as was promised by it in the
Summit meetings with India two decades ago.
India and Pakistan only a hundred years ago were one
national family that had a common history, civilizational flow, legacy and
language. Both the countries despite being separate entities should have common
foes and friends but they are upfront against each other due to the follies of
the past.
India and Pakistan might economically survive and exist independent
of each other but yet they need to go along as the two separated brothers of
the same family. Their common history of the last ten thousand years enjoins
upon them to recognise the facts of history and circumstances. In order to
achieve the desired results, while India has been representing the common
historical cord culturally and civilizationally, Pakistan also needs to realise
its responsibilities and debunk its notion of delinking with the common past
history. It will greatly help the situation keeping in view the common future
goals.
The recently announced National security policy of
Pakistan seems a welcome departure from its usual India-bashing approach. A
country that talked in terms of one thousand cuts and fighting war with India
for one thousand years for a long period of time has taken a historical shift
from its stated position. It says that it wants friendship with India for the
next one hundred years and the peace process between the two neighbours could
be taken ahead without the baggage of Kashmir issue.
This is a welcome
departure from the senseless narrative against India towards a sensible
direction that has potential to improve relations, provided terrorism is shunned
and dismantled by Pakistan. India has a huge domestic agenda against terrorism
and has a consistent support base to its declared doctrine of ‘terror and talks
won’t go together’. Therefore, it would be advisable for Pakistan to think and
act afresh in this particular context in order to realize the dreams of peace
and friendly relations with India.
In an event Pakistan does the following four things in an
earnest, it will create a great ground for future peace, brotherhood,
tranquillity and progress in the region. So, Pakistan has a bigger
responsibility to guide the events to follow. The four things are:
1. Owning the thousands years old history of the two
nations, India and Pakistan, as the common culture, civilization, heritage,
tradition and legacy of the land.
land under its control.
discussion, tactfully, and
affairs leading to negotiations and talks between India and Pakistan.
This four-point agenda will also encourage the people of
the two countries to develop people to people relations with a great success
rate in near future, both with and without the support of the respective
governments. It will also to a great extent help melt the ice and thus bid
goodbye to the current trust deficit and hatred against each other. It is hoped
that better sense would prevail upon all concerned in the interest of yearning
harmony, peace and prosperity in India and Pakistan.
By – Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo
(The author is a senior BJP & KP leader, Incharge:
Deptt of Political Feedback, BJP-J&K and can be reached at: ashwanikc2012@gmail.com)
