Hon Vinod 2070,
I agree that being a Pakistani, it is difficult for me to be truly objective when it comes to India. .
This thread is however not about India versus Pakistan but whether India is a friend or foe of the Muslims.
I was born before the partition and my elders had lived with Hindus and Sikh for generations. I don’t hate India; neither do I consider India ‘Arch Enemy’. India is just an adversary.
Most of the text books that I read in school in the early 50’s were written by the Hindus and the English. I found nothing objectionable in these. It is only after the bigot Zia that historical text books have been changed in Pakistan. BJP has tried to do the same thing in India. Your comments in post number 387 imply that previous history books were incorrect and attempt to change is called for.
In another words, to exploit sins of the grand fathers and punish the grandsons for the crimes they did not commit is justified. This way of thinking goes against my grain and I consider this a crime against humanity.
If you read my posts, you may have noticed that I am against parties that exploit religious, ethnic or sectarian prejudices. That is why I am against all religious parties and also the parties that support strong rightist views in Pakistan.
BJP started as Bharatia Jan Sang and Rashtariya Swayamsevek Sang; both strongly sectarian and anti-Muslim parties. LK Advani's Ram Rath Yatra of 1990 was strongly anti Muslim which raised the fundamental question about definaition of secularism and brought to surface anti Muslim feeling previously hidden in many Hindus. This is what turned BJP from having only 2 seats in the 1985 elections to the largest political party in India.
No matter how objective I try to be, it is difficult for anyone as familiar with the subcontinent history as I am, to accept that India under BJP is a friend of the Muslims.
However, I have met scores of Indians during my visits to India as well my neighbours and colleagues in the US, UK and the UAE who were without doubt good friends of the Muslims. That is why I stand by my opinion that India is simultaneously friend and foe of the Muslims.