Cyril Almeida’s column today is worth reading and thinking about for a while. This passage in particular struck me as something to read more than once…
To anyone who hasn’t lived and breathed the feinbild of India as the enemy for decades, as all generals have, the problem is straightforward: the conception of India as an incorrigible, recidivist foe who can never be trusted in matters big and small has hurt us in the past, and, given the present trajectories of the two countries, will hurt us even more in the future.
To give but a simple example: at present, as we have done before, we are looking to faraway America and its proxies, the international financial institutions, to keep the economy on life support; yet, right next door we have a country obsessed with economic growth and still we keep shut the door to trade (Indian non-tariff barriers notwithstanding) — a door that could lead to other, strategic benefits.
If we continue this culture of suspicion and distrust, constant tension and harsh words with our neighbor to the East – what are the benefits…and what are the costs?
The hatred and distrust that we harbour in our hearts is never going to hurt India; it will only hurt us for as long as we do not get real.
Looking at our journey so far after the birth of our nation, and where we stand today, it seems impossible to see which way we are headed; what our future is, and what kind of a country our children will live in. The future, to me at least, does not look very rosy. The most worrying part is how the world is starting to look at Pakistan as a nation.
In my humble view, all such debates and discussions should lead us to some concrete action. Let us have some ideas for such action.
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