Building bridges between India, Pakistan

Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior Congress leader, is in the news of late for a certain incident and certain remarks he made with reference to Pakistan. Initially, it was a case of some senior leaders of Congress meeting with diplomatic functionaries of Pakistan at his residence and then his visit to Pakistan where he made certain comments.

While asserting that there is a need for uninterrupted dialogue between Pakistan and India he remarked that whereas such an attitude is there from Pakistan side, same is lacking from India. He went on to add that he gets a lot of love in Pakistan and hatred in India. Without going to the other aspects of his remarks, I would like to pick up his specific remark that he gets a lot of love in Pakistan. That he gets a lot of hatred in India is something peculiar and personal to him and he should be pitied for the same.

I happened to be in England quite some time back and the best friends I made were from Pakistan. They have a genuine interest in the affairs of India and the type of belligerence that we see from the successive regimes of Pakistan is something different from what people from that country feel towards India. Therein lies a strong window of opportunity for India for building long-lasting people-to-people relationship which, if properly used, can also change the perception of the regimes of Pakistan towards India.

We as a country are obsessed with Pakistan comparing ourselves with Pakistan on different counts and feeling proud that we are doing better. Given the size and the initial advantage we had in terms of a better leadership soon after independence, we had a distinct advantage in terms of better governance and the development of different democratic institutions facilitating better performance in all spheres as compared to Pakistan. Prolonged military rule and the lack of development of other institutions have put brakes on the development of Pakistan.

Performance of India may be relatively better but not something to be very proud of in absolute terms. Of late, the Indian economy is doing far better and we are rightfully poised to take an important stage in the global arena based on our strengths geopolitical economic and otherwise. This role we will not be in a position to take on and fulfil unless we get out of our obsession of comparing ourselves with Pakistan and also not get bogged down on bilateral issues with our neighbours in the South Asian subcontinent.

Here comes the significance of second comment of Mani Shankar Aiyar that there should be continuing dialogue between both nations. His assertion that same is true of Pakistan but not of India is without basis and looks to be the result of his personal obligation to the host.
Far more important is the need to focus on building people-to-people relationship with Pakistan to expose Indians to happenings in Pakistan and Pakistanis to what’s happening in India.

This can happen at different levels in terms of bureaucratic exchanges, media exchanges and exchanges at the level of intellectuals artists etc. This continuing learning from each other and what is happening in different spheres in both the countries would go a long way in sensitising the populations of both the nations to the realities of both the countries instead of people being swept away by prejudices and preconceived notion about each other as percolated down in both the countries by regimes over a period of time for their own narrow interests.

The functioning vibrant democracy in Pakistan is not only in the interest of that country but also in the broader interests of the subcontinent as well as the world at large. We should give a helping hand in stabilising the democratic institutions in Pakistan and convince the world also to do its bit so that the democratic institutions get stabilised in that country.

The recent news that there was Osama bin Laden‘s hand in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto highlights how certain forces are doing all that is required to see that democracy does not take deep roots in that country. It is a proper functioning democracy that can lead to evolution of a liberal Pakistan. Liberal democratic Pakistan is the best thing that can happen to the world, leave alone India and Indian subcontinent.