India, Pakistan have to bury hatchet

India, Pakistan have to bury hatchet
| Fri, 05/27/2011 8:00 AM

Farooq’s thought-provoking letter (May 13) suggested that Pakistan was looking for another option! Pakistan does need to reflect inwards for new options with an open mind by tracing its steps backwards to figure out what brought it to its present condition and then try to “undo” these steps.
I don’t know what Pakistanis feel, but we Indians feel we are basically from the same stock. We appear, think, dress and (barring beef) eat alike! Some Pakistanis are surely as resourceful and talented as we Indians are. I am sure that when Pakistan decides to stand on its own feet, they will also come up winners just like we Indians have! For its economic development and for building its basic infrastructure, Pakistan could take loans, but it should refuse to take “free” aid as such, since aid always has strings attached.
I can cite an example of India. In 1991, the Indian economy hit rock bottom and it didn’t have the foreign exchange it needed for its day-to-day requirements. In those dark days, India had to pledge (and actually shift) its bullion to the IMF to get foreign exchange. India took this humiliating step but still refused all “free” aid.
Such decisions have made Indians tough and tenacious! I hope Pakistan emulates this example on its way to greatness! The day would be written in letters of gold when Pakistanis realize that India is their genuine (and best) friend. Nawaz Sharif expressed these feelings the other day in Karachi when he urged them to stop looking at India as their biggest enemy. I really admire his courage and statesmanship to say this, because it ushers in a new golden era of Indo-Pakistan friendship. I sincerely hope that Pakistan extends its hand of friendship toward India. Borrowing a line from President Obama’s inaugural address I say India will extend a friendly hand toward Pakistan if it is willing to unclench its fist.
India has no interest in occupying any Pakistani territory that genuinely belongs to Pakistan. Though Partition was painful, Indians have gotten over it. If there had been no partition, Pakistanis, as a part of undivided India, would have been under uninterrupted democratic rule with all the freedoms Indians enjoy!
Their country would have enjoyed a high growth rate, respect in the World community and financial comforts that Indians enjoy: the widening gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” notwithstanding! Though we are split by partition, we can and must live as friendly neighbors. I feel it’s time to bury the old hatchet and start a new friendship with India!
K. B. Kale, Jakarta
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Post Comments | Comments (12)

muradali_shaikh, U.K. | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 19:05pm

Western Powers closing the Cordon Around Pakistan: Syed Munawar Hasan Warns

LAHORE, May 26: The Jamaat e Islami chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has said the US President Obama and British Premier Cameron’s resolve to wipe out terrorism from this region and check nuclear proliferation was an open challenge for Pakistan.
The colonial powers were closing their cordon against this country while the rulers and military leadership were the US allies in its war against this country, he deplored, in his address at a special workshop for provincial and district heads of the JI held at Mansoora on Thursday.
Syed Munawar Hasan expressed grave concern over the Abbotabad and Naval base attacks and said that if the nation did not free itself from the clutches of the US slaves, it would lose its independence and sovereignty. He said these two incidents showed worst security failure which had not only created a sense of insecurity among the people but also shaken their faith in these institutions.
He said, the resolutions adopted by the joint sessions of the parliament were not given any weight and there was no indication that the rulers would give up their policy to sell out national interests on US dictates. However, he declared that the JI would foil all anti-Pakistan designs of the slavish rulers with the public support.
Syed Munawar Hasan said that the current wave of terrorism in the country was part of the agenda of US, India and Israel against this country. He said the intelligence agencies were showing complete indifference about the security of national assets and sensitive installations, the situation was alarming but the national security institutions were shifting the responsibility to one another.
He said in Karachi, those busy in the politics of dead bodies and bloodshed had joined hands once again after rapprochement and the port city should get ready for more bloodshed and extortion. He however remarked that in this bloody game, neither the heirs of those killed in target killings had been compensated nor justice had been done to their families.
He was sure that if there was free and fair elections in Karachi, the JI would sweep. He clarified that the doors of the JI were open to all.
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Jamal K., South Africa | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 12:05pm

To
@mukesh raj dass, Auckland | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 04:05am

You write: "India-Pak Partition was a bad idea...and Gandhi saw it...".
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My Opinion: Yes the Partition was a bad idea, but it is reversible, why not? Unfortunately most Hindus show strong pathological form of animosity to Pakistan, which is not conducive to a good union. Moreover, we in Pakistan, believe, that Hindus would take revenge for "our Imperial" Islamic past. But in those days not all Pakistanis were Muslims. They were also Hindus. My Great-Father, for axample, was a Hindu. Parts of our family are still Hindus and some are converted Muslims. We have still many Hindus rituals. See more details in:
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Collins and Lapiere: Freedom at Midnight, 1975. (Translated from French into German and English). The book show the black and white photos of Gandhi and the 4 Hindu perpetrators who killed him. Hardly to believe, but true: Gandhi Jee war pro-Pakistan.
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mukesh raj dass, Auckland | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 04:05am

Let me emphasize as a Punjabi Hindu married to an Indonesian Muslim...i DO NOT dislike Pakistanis because they look like me, talk like me and are probably identical to me in terms of aspiration and family values....I only feel bad for them because they are Pawn in this notorious chess game for which the Pakistani military and China has alot to account for....In my opinion, rightly or wrongly, India-Pak Partition was a bad idea...and Gandhi saw it...

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mukesh raj dass, Auckland | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 04:05am

Every problem has a motive. Who will gain from the continuing conflict between India and Pakistan
(1) the Pakistani military (and ISI)(justify control of the country and massive budget playing on the Indian bogeyman).
(2)The powerful landlords in Pakistan
(3)China - Keeping its rival (India) economically down and getting the Pakistanis to do their dirty war by proxy via the military or terrorist organisations.
The losers are obviously the people of Pakistan and India as a whole. If Pakistan feels they have alot in common with China then they should change the name to Porkistan instead of Pakistan. Maybe they should ask the Tibetans, Uigur Muslims and Inner Mongolians how they treat other people better than India....they might learn something OR they prefer to ignore it just to get satisfy their obsession with India (as Obama reference to Pakistan's obsession). If Pakistan is deeply sensitive about Kashmir then why give a large chunk of Kashmir to China and yet fight with India to get the other chunk ???? Stupidity has no limit.
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Haafez, France | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 02:05am

Dear K. B. Kale from Jakarta
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Thank you very much for your woderful article.
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NATO is a terrorist organisation. , A reader | Tue, 31/05/2011 - 02:05am

Nato choppers again violate Pakistani airspace in North Waziristan
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Source: www.nation.com.pk (30.05.2011)
The NATO continues to violate Pakistani airspace as two helicopters again intruded into the Pakistani territory on Monday.
Sources said that two NATO choppers entered the Pakistani airspace to hunt militants in border area of North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
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The NATO helicopters entered the border area, claiming that five members of Haqqani network have been arrested after the search operation.
It is worth mentioning here that two NATO helicopters had violated Pakistan’s airspace at Admi Kot post in North Waziristan Agency last week and had fired at the army check post, injuring two security personnel.
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Meanwhile, tribesmen and citizens have expressed their anguish over repeated violation of NATO at border areas. Criticizing the suspicious silence of country’s leadership over NATO violations, they said that sovereignty of the country has been ruined in the hands of politicians who have nothing to do except safeguarding personal interests and increasing bank balances and properties.
They urged the armed forces to appropriately retaliate the violation by NATO forces so as to assure the countrymen that they were in safe hands.