Peace now with Aman ki Asha
The calendar is a structure we put on time; otherwise 1st January is in no different from December 31st. Yet, it feels like a new beginning, a fresh start, a metaphorical wiping of the slate clean. It is also a time to take stock, a personal audit of sins past and a resolve to do better.
As a nation too it should prompt reflection, a cold analysis of what we have done right and where we have gone wrong. There are things that have been thrust upon us and we have had no choice but to respond. The assault of militancy and terrorism being an example.
But, then there are issues that could have been dealt with differently not just by us but also by our adversaries. This would not have made them go away because contradictions and conflict are a part of living. The difference between success and failure though lies in how we address them.
India and Pakistan emerged as independent nations after a chaotic and horrendously traumatic partition. Half a million or more Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were killed and many others subjected to terrible atrocities by crazed mobs. An entire generation in Punjab and some in Bengal were uprooted from their homes and their ancestral land. It left behind a bitter legacy of hate.
It was also natural that arbitrary lines drawn on a hitherto undivided landscape would leave many issues unresolved. Kashmir is one such festering sore that has deeply coloured relations between the two countries. In Pakistan, it led to narratives of being wronged, of bias and injustice.
Indias involvement in the separation of East Pakistan further embittered an already sour atmosphere. In Kashmir the path of war in 1948, 65, and 99 did not get any of the countries nearer to its objective. India continues to have an uneasy, tenuous hold on the territory and Pakistan is nowhere close to realizing what it considers is its rightful claim.
The resentment that this conflict and the saga of East Pakistan generated also had an impact on what are normal interactions between neighbouring countries. Tourism, cultural and sporting exchanges, and most importantly trade and commerce have been deeply affected. While the Europeans, South East Asians, and countries of North and South America formed regional trading blocs, South Asians remain mired in hate and mutual suspicion.
It is the people of the region and particularly of India and Pakistan that have suffered because our already meagre resources were diverted towards warfare at the cost of human development. Lack of mutual trade and commerce also put a lid on a huge potential of common good between the countries. While Pakistan has lost more because it has not been able to benefit from a vast and growing economy next door, India also has been denied a large and ready market in Pakistan.
The time has come to leave this legacy of hate and suspicion behind. While there are issues that will continue to divide us, there is much in common. There is a commonality of culture, cuisine and language, particularly between Pakistan and North India. There is a shared history that is not all of communal conflict. And, there are common challenges of poverty that call for a total focus on improving the human condition.
It is in this context that the initiative for peace, jointly undertaken by two leading media groups in Pakistan and India, is so welcome. The Jang group in Pakistan and the Times of India group in India have joined hands to promote peace between both countries.
This initiative is focused on mobilising popular pressure for peace on the establishment of both countries. The campaign for Aman ki Asha is the first time in the chequered history of the subcontinent that major media groups in the two countries have decided to launch a concerted push for peace. The intention is not to suggest solutions. That is for the governments of the two countries to work out. This initiative seeks to create conducive environment and enabling conditions for a peace dialogue to succeed.
The interesting thing is that the campaign Aman ki Asha does not seek to exclude the establishment of the two countries. The Jang group has held wide consultations with the government, with the second major party in the country, the PML N, and with the MQM and others. All have supported the initiative. More importantly in the Pakistani context, the Jang group has also interacted with the military establishment and received its support for the campaign.
I am informed that in India the Times of India group has also interacted with the ruling party and obtained the support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The group is continuing its interactions with other stakeholders, aiming to get as much public and political support as it can for the Aman ki Asha campaign.
This is not a small breakthrough. Given the hardening of positions after the Mumbai massacre and particularly the anti-Pakistan tone of the Indian media, a call for peace by the largest Indian media group is in itself a significant development. This group has the largest circulation English newspaper in India, a widely watched television channel and a host of other publications. Its access to the Indian establishment and its ability to mobilise popular support gives it a unique ability to create the right atmosphere for peace.
The Jang group is also the largest media group in Pakistan and its ability to contribute to peace between India and Pakistan cannot be underestimated. Getting a major Indian group to partner it in this endeavour is a tremendous success for this group.
As a first step a major trade and industry conference is being organised in Karachi in February, in which the largest business houses of India and Pakistan are participating. The concerned ministries from both countries will also be represented, opening a possible door for more interactions in the future. This raises the possibility of a major breakthrough in trade negotiations between the two countries. On the Indian side, a week-long literary and cultural activity is planned in January which will include participants from Pakistan.
These activities will be followed with others over the next three months with more to follow. Both the media groups have resolved to keep the momentum for Aman ki Asha campaign going and allocate time, manpower and resources towards its success. To re-emphasise again, the exact contours and substantive content of negotiations are up to the two governments to decide. What this campaign aims to achieve is mobilising popular support for peace.
The ground for this is fertile because opinion polls have conclusively demonstrated that a large majority of the people in both countries support peace. And why not? They want the burden of their existence to become easier. It is elite snobbery to believe that the ordinary people do not equate their poverty to large allocation of state resources towards war.
If there ever were good tidings for the New Year, it is this initiative for peace. If there ever was a resolution for the New Year that needs to be adopted by all, it is the Aman ki Asha campaign. Let us all pray for its success. Happy New Year.
Peace now with Aman ki Asha