Author: Tarun Vijay
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 15, 2003
With more than 60,000 Indians killed
by Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terrorists and scars from the stabs on our
back, we flew to Islamabad to talk peace. Bravo. That is the way we are.
The questions raised on the eve of SAFMA delegation's departure were, "What
has changed in Pakistani junta's attitude that has emitted divine rays
of hope? Have the killings of Indians stopped? Has the infiltration reduced?
What does parroting the 'core issue' juxtaposed with 'big brother should
give more concessions and sacrifices than us' convey? And, pray, till now,
what kind of narrow minded approach has been shown by India?" Pakistan
has wanted us to forget everything it has done, but wants us to remember
everything it wants.
We forgot that Muslims demanded
the Partition of our motherland which led to the genocide of more than
one million Hindus. It has never remembered that even after those brutalities
our Mahatma sat on fast to force Nehru to grant a loan to Pakistan. It
forgot that having taken the loan, the Pakistani Army, dressed as tribals
(we saw a repeat performance in Kargil), attacked Kashmir, grabbed two-thirds
of it, and left behind a trail of barbarism: Horrendous killings of Hindu
men, women and children. We forgot Shimla, Bhutto's turnaround, and hardly
mention Lahore and, well..er..Kargil, so that the General is not displeased.
We may also like to consign to the flames the files containing reports
of how our diplomats were beaten and humiliated in Islamabad.
Such is the burden of being an elder
brother that the moment their High Commissioner touches Indian soil, he
becomes a media celebrity. Even his safaiwallah and safediwallah are interviewed.
But in Islamabad our man has to wait till "humiliating arrangements" are
over. Is this the kind of concession an "elder brother" is expected to
make? And is this the reciprocity the younger brother has for us with a
humble "jo hukum" on the BBC?
Still, in Islamabad, the Pakistani
Prime Minister talked of elder brother's responsibilities like showing
a spirit of sacrifice, a readiness to give concessions and following a
spirit of "give and take". RSS chief KS Sudarshan has rightly said that
we have nothing to take; only to give. What can we expect to take from
Pakistan which is already occupying a part of our Kashmir? Though some
South Delhi Sultans are advocating for LoC as the international border,
will the people of India approve? Signatories to such a proposal shall
also seal the fate of their party.
Nevertheless, we must talk because
that is the way civil societies resolve conflicts. Small gestures can make
a big difference and even if Pakistan foreign office is "vitiating the
atmosphere" a little, Baby Noor has done much more good to our bilateral
relations. The entire country stood up for her as if she was India's own
daughter. A Pakistani artist gets more coverage and applause than anybody
else and a Lahori couple gets special discount in Karol Bagh with an affectionate,
"Aap se kya kamana ji; aap to hamare apne hain."
When I was in Lahore and Islamabad
two years ago, the same warmth was palpable everywhere we went. It was
great fun to see Basant celebrations in Lahore and participate in a wedding
at Hotel Avari, with sehra, mehndi, suhag jora, paan, tikka, and lovely
Punjabi songs. Once they know you are a Punjabi, they don't let you speak
in English or Urdu. The binding elements between a Pakistani and a Hindustani
can only be cultural. If Urdu became a political tool for Partition in
India, in Pakistan it is a political weapon to be used officially. To feel
the warmth of a Pakistani, local language is the only bridge, like Punjabi,
Sindhi and Pashto. The binding factors between us still remain in areas
of language, art, collective memory, rituals and common civilisational
pride.
I remember seeing a poster of Mohenjodaro
in the lobby of the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi with the inscription:
"Pakistan - a land of 5000-year- old civilisation." The tourism department
in Lahore proudly publishes in its brochures that the city has derived
its name from Luv, the son of Rama. There is a strong undercurrent among
some Pakistani intellectuals to revive the memories of their real past.
PPP leader Aitzaz Hussain presented me his book, The Indus Saga. He says
the Introduction, "Indra and the Vedas, Krishna and the Mahabharata are
to be shunned as if they would pollute the minds of the youth; as if Islamic
faith is itself vulnerable to such influences with which it has co-existed
for centuries and not been overcome. Yet these deities and beliefs, howsoever
incredible they may be to the Muslim mind, are facts forming a part of
Indus history."
The spirit of reviving binding elements
has to be strengthened further. Nobody stops us from wishing Pakistanis
well. But we must try to find out why, with so much in common, has peaceful
co-existence not become possible? Why is jihad being directed against us?
What is the reason behind these hateful campaigns and enmity against us?
What wrong have we done to them? Is the sole reason Kashmir or does the
nail hurt somewhere else? Muslims are feeling cornered the world over because
of the World Wide Web of Islamic terrorism. Are these exercises an attempt
to exorcise the ghost of "bad image" or is a true change of heart possible?
We must clearly tell Pakistan that
jihad shall never go unanswered and that the spirit of friendliness is
never unilateral. Being an elder brother does not mean we keep counting
our dead while they keep repeating the core issue. Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav's
journeying to Pakistan may be a good idea for a tea party. But it hardly
brings solace to the victims of jihad.
