Xestan
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How India can be helpful to Pakistan
The former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra was spot on when he observed that Indian pundits would do exceedingly well by keeping their traps shut with regard to the dramatic events in Pakistan. Yet, the establishment set the ball rolling. So far so good, though.
Home Minister P Chidambarams chance remark that India is keeping a close watch is a statement of fact at the highest level of Indian leadership. As a matter of fact, from personal experience in the South Block I can vouchsafe that we never bat an eyelid when it comes to watching (or eavesdropping) on Pakistan. It cannot be otherwise.
And so does Pakistan, given its own entire narrative of what India has been about and how bad it still can be in a worst-case scenario. Incidentally, events in India also mesmerize the Pakistani mind Anna Hazare, for instance.
But beyond that, to anticipate any eventuality and apprehend a spillover effect of the Pakistan events will be, as we say out here in Kerala, like lifting the dhoti a mile ahead of the stream that could even turn out to be dry, in anticipation of one having to cross it eventually one ends up exposing ones nakedness. The heart of the matter is that the stream has a dry bed and it is obvious that for a long time already since November 26, 2008, no water flowed through it.
There is a qualitative difference to the political crisis in Pakistan. This is not a run-of-the-mill story being retold of an imminent military coup. Army chief Ashfaq Kayani actually took permission from PM Yusuf Gilani before the ISPR statement regarding the latters media outburst of the illegality of the militarys recent actions.
Again, Pakistans press is indeed a thriving opinion-maker today and it is uniformly stressing its visceral aversion to army rule. No political party is playing footsie with the military. In any case, Kayani is an unusual general. In all these years of Pakistan watching since 1977 when I first moved into the desk in South Block, Ive never come across a soldier comparable to him. The nearest to him might have been Jehangir Karamat, but then the social background and the Pakistani ethos and the nativist traits of Kayani keep him apart. (Maybe, they both smoked Dunhill cigarettes.)
All things considered, therefore, this is a crisis with a difference. Surely, Pakistan has its loads of internal problems just as we have in India. PM Manmohan Singh just reminded us of a national shame. (I wonder why it cant be the stuff of editorial comments in our press!)
The root cause of Pakistans instability is the presence of western troops on its borders and a shameful war next door. American soldiers urinating on the listless corpses of Afghans . One can very well imagine the fury raging through the Pashtun mind. This has been a futile and mindless war fought for geopolitical purposes. Pervez Musharraf should never have allowed himself to behave like a frightened kitten. Pakistan is today paying the price for his cowardice.
In sum, Pakistans instability is far from terminal. Pakistan is slowly and steadily working out the equilibrium between the civil and military authority. I couldnt have imagined when I arrived in Turkey on my assignment as ambassador in 1998 that the country could look like this today. It took a decade. In Pakistan, too, change will come. But let Pakistan sort out its political equilibrium on its own. The Americans, in particular, should stay miles away from interfering.
The main drawback today is not Kayani but the sad reality that Pakistans bourgeois parties are similar to Indias lacking in ideology and in leaderships with the courage of conviction. Thats where Recep Tayyip Erdogan scores over Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif.
Mishra is right, we can help Pakistan by being politically mature ourselves. Indeed, times have changed. Amidst all this crisis, look at the grace with which Prime Minister Gilani chose to go on a nostalgic trip how green was Mohali. Our pundits should reciprocate his statesmanship.
Posted in Politics.
By M K Bhadrakumar January 13, 2012
How India can be helpful to Pakistan - Indian Punchline
I really appreciate the writer, at least someone across the border understand our issues.
The former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra was spot on when he observed that Indian pundits would do exceedingly well by keeping their traps shut with regard to the dramatic events in Pakistan. Yet, the establishment set the ball rolling. So far so good, though.
Home Minister P Chidambarams chance remark that India is keeping a close watch is a statement of fact at the highest level of Indian leadership. As a matter of fact, from personal experience in the South Block I can vouchsafe that we never bat an eyelid when it comes to watching (or eavesdropping) on Pakistan. It cannot be otherwise.
And so does Pakistan, given its own entire narrative of what India has been about and how bad it still can be in a worst-case scenario. Incidentally, events in India also mesmerize the Pakistani mind Anna Hazare, for instance.
But beyond that, to anticipate any eventuality and apprehend a spillover effect of the Pakistan events will be, as we say out here in Kerala, like lifting the dhoti a mile ahead of the stream that could even turn out to be dry, in anticipation of one having to cross it eventually one ends up exposing ones nakedness. The heart of the matter is that the stream has a dry bed and it is obvious that for a long time already since November 26, 2008, no water flowed through it.
There is a qualitative difference to the political crisis in Pakistan. This is not a run-of-the-mill story being retold of an imminent military coup. Army chief Ashfaq Kayani actually took permission from PM Yusuf Gilani before the ISPR statement regarding the latters media outburst of the illegality of the militarys recent actions.
Again, Pakistans press is indeed a thriving opinion-maker today and it is uniformly stressing its visceral aversion to army rule. No political party is playing footsie with the military. In any case, Kayani is an unusual general. In all these years of Pakistan watching since 1977 when I first moved into the desk in South Block, Ive never come across a soldier comparable to him. The nearest to him might have been Jehangir Karamat, but then the social background and the Pakistani ethos and the nativist traits of Kayani keep him apart. (Maybe, they both smoked Dunhill cigarettes.)
All things considered, therefore, this is a crisis with a difference. Surely, Pakistan has its loads of internal problems just as we have in India. PM Manmohan Singh just reminded us of a national shame. (I wonder why it cant be the stuff of editorial comments in our press!)
The root cause of Pakistans instability is the presence of western troops on its borders and a shameful war next door. American soldiers urinating on the listless corpses of Afghans . One can very well imagine the fury raging through the Pashtun mind. This has been a futile and mindless war fought for geopolitical purposes. Pervez Musharraf should never have allowed himself to behave like a frightened kitten. Pakistan is today paying the price for his cowardice.
In sum, Pakistans instability is far from terminal. Pakistan is slowly and steadily working out the equilibrium between the civil and military authority. I couldnt have imagined when I arrived in Turkey on my assignment as ambassador in 1998 that the country could look like this today. It took a decade. In Pakistan, too, change will come. But let Pakistan sort out its political equilibrium on its own. The Americans, in particular, should stay miles away from interfering.
The main drawback today is not Kayani but the sad reality that Pakistans bourgeois parties are similar to Indias lacking in ideology and in leaderships with the courage of conviction. Thats where Recep Tayyip Erdogan scores over Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif.
Mishra is right, we can help Pakistan by being politically mature ourselves. Indeed, times have changed. Amidst all this crisis, look at the grace with which Prime Minister Gilani chose to go on a nostalgic trip how green was Mohali. Our pundits should reciprocate his statesmanship.
Posted in Politics.
By M K Bhadrakumar January 13, 2012
How India can be helpful to Pakistan - Indian Punchline
I really appreciate the writer, at least someone across the border understand our issues.
But you are right, that would be a sensible solution.
