Pakistan and India were one nation under the British rule.The legacy of the Brits "to divide and rule",left a scar which no passage of time can fill.There was no mention of Pakistan five years prior to the partition.It was the sidelining of Jinnah by the congress party that led to his taking a hardline stand and propose a two nation theory.
The partition saw worst of massacres and forced migration of millions of people by far the largest in history;maybe followed by forced evacuation of asians from Uganda under Idi Amin.The partition left many wounds for inhabitants of both the country.Soon after the partition Pakistan tried to capture Kashmir by force,but raja Hari Singh signed a hurried special treaty with India under which the state of J & K was given a special status in Indian Constitution under Article 370,and Indian forces went and defeated the Pak forces.
The next war started when Pakistan attacked India (code:Gibraltar) on August 5, 1965.
The war ended at a point of stalemate when the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that called for a ceasefire. (India had a slight advantage, but not enough.) Soviet-brokered Tashkent Declaration was signed between the two countries sometime in 1966.This war derailed the Indian economy completely(though the Chinese incursion of 1962 also had had a part) and the five year plans were suspended for a few years.
The 1971 Indo-Pak war initially started as a civil war in East Pakistan (Bangladesh).East Pakistan and West Pakistan then were one nation though separated by thousand of miles.The crackdown on east Pak saw killing of many civilians and over 80 lakh refugees entered India. Indira Gandhi,the iron lady of India took a bold step and liberated Bangladesh in two weeks,with India taking 93,000 Prisoner of Wars.The peace came in the form of Simla pact.
This was a decisive victory for India and a massive loss of face for Pakistan.India despite being a land of contradictions and full of diversity that can be found in only a continent,could work towards a one nation theory and adopt a constitution- the longest in the world and also the source of power for the government.It talks about how "WE THE PEOPLE.....Give to ourselves This Constitution" in the preamble.The constitution set India to be Sovereign,Socialist,Secular,Democratic Republic; and India has been lucky to walk on this line despite the emergency misadventure of Indira Gandhi.Pakistan on the other hand could not find stability.Its internal affairs and governance were always in jeopardy with military playing as important (and some times even more so),a role as the civilian government.Add to it the chaos of semi independent chieftains of border areas.The nation of Pakistan according to the military,could exist only if a constant threat was portrayed from India.It was this threat that kept Pakistan alive as a nation.
Kargil,the most recent war started in 1999 when infiltrators were discovered in the Batalik sector.The intruders, comprising mostly Pak Army regulars, along with a sprinkling of Mujahideen, were defeated in the operation Vijay, a major offensive in Kargil and Drass sectors. Fortunately the war was a contained one and common sense prevailed on both sides, to stop it from becoming a major one.
The attack on Mumbai on the 26th of november was the latest in the line of events to bring the two countries closer to war.Though the Pakistani Govt. Is not directly implicated in the attack it is clear that it was perpetuated by Pakistan based elements. Here India has shown an exemplary restraint on her part and should continue to do so.Why?
1. An attack at this point would be against the economic wellbeing and wipe out a decade of progress.
2. The war has the potential of becoming nuclear.
3. The whole world is sitting on gunpowder.All it requires is a match.Though middle east is the most sensitive place,still the continuous war waged by the Israel has somehow become an accepted news.India pakistan war would change the dynamics of the balance of power and Russia,China and Iran could be drawn in.
4. No country can invade other country and keep it under its rule without suffering heavy casualities.US Iraq war has taught us this.
5. Though Pakistan has tried to bleed India Through "thousand cuts ", it has only brought the country together.With India's economy booming,India has started looking at the world as her Oyster and Pakistan no longer plays as important a role in the national consciousness.
6. Pakistan is fighting its own war against the separatists and its economy has tanked. There is a distinct possibility that it will collapse under its own weight.
The recent change in the presidential election in US has created a new dynamics.Obama has started leaning hevily on Pakistan.Now that may backfire.The US currently needs a threat to its security to keep its military machine busy.Mind it,it is a real threat.The new president needs a concrete name to point public's mind to it.Iran,Syria,Jordan and N.Korea can't be continued as he has promised for a change from past policies.So what better example than Pakistan.
However his policies present a twin edged sword for India.Though India has got her aim fulfilled of presenting the true face of Pakistan,too hard a stance now would be detrimental for her.Pakistan could easily be mired in a civil war and in order to keep the country united once again target India.It has worked in the past and it may work again.The current civilian Govt. in Pakistan is not strong enough to prevent another border excursion.This can be seen through the war of words going on between the two countries.
The threat of war betwwen the two countries is very real in the next six months. Indian Govt's and public's patience is wearing thin and another attack on Indian soil may force Her to launch a limited attack (surgical strikes) on Pakistan's soil.Otherwise also Pakistan may open a front for a contained war against India in order to divert the attention of world community.Any war now would only increase the hardships for the citizens of the two countries already suffering from the global recession. In case of war India should act prudently and behave like elder brother so that the war does not escalate and become nuclear.Pakistan has got nothing to loose,and India looses everything.
The Global balance of power is already in a state of flux and should see a war in order to resolve it.It is better if it does not start in this subcontinent.
OM! SHANTI!SHANTI!SHANTI! With this prayer...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
nice portrayal of your thoughts, i must say!
i cannot agree more on that an indo - pak war seems to be just another terrorist attack away (in the near future); one that will eventually snowball into a much bigger thing... but then, with the indian government's peculiar nature of taking pride in its countrymen's ability to bear torture, u can never be sure!
Post a Comment