| April 17, 2002 | Wednesday | Safar 3, 142 |
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BJP in a bind
Monument to neglect
IT is gratifying to know that Pakistan and Russia are steadily moving towards developing a more cordial relationship and turning their backs on the bitterness of the past. The recent visit to Islamabad by a three-member Russian parliamentary delegation, headed by the chairman of the foreign relations committee of the Duma, is one expression of this gradual thaw in relations. The visit is the most recent in a steady trickle of delegations going back and forth between the two countries. During its recent visit, the Russian delegation expressed its keenness to develop closer ties, a view echoed by the Pakistani Foreign Office, which stressed the need to expand and upgrade relations with Russia. This is a welcome break with the past in which the two countries have not always been on the friendliest of terms.
In recent years, the world has changed dramatically and none of the former irritants in the way of good relations is now present. For one, the end of the cold war and the break-up of the Soviet Union have led to the emergence not only of a leaner Russian Federation but also of a unipolar world in which the old East vs West divide has become irrelevant. The US and Russia, some residual bitterness aside, are no longer foes battling for control and influence on the global stage. Pakistan’s traditional tilt towards the western bloc should now be viewed as part of history, and not be seen as a stumbling block in the way of friendly ties with Russia. India, for example, continues to enjoy cordial relations with Russia while simultaneously building closer ties with the US. There is no reason why Pakistan cannot do the same. Another major irritant between Pakistan and Russia — Afghanistan — is no longer a source of discord. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Pakistan became a frontline state in the war against the occupation and sought aid and succour from the US, which was happy to bleed the Soviets from a safe distance.
Today, following the new realities in Afghanistan, the Russians and Pakistanis find themselves on the same side in the US-led coalition against terrorism. During their meetings with Pakistan’s foreign and commerce ministers, the Russian parliamentary delegation had a fruitful exchange on a number of vital issues, including the prospect of working together in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan. Islamabad believes that the opening up of Afghanistan would encourage easier transportation of goods and boost trade with Russia as well as the Central Asian republics.
The Russians were also keen on launching joint ventures with Pakistan, and were eager to expand the present relatively low volume of trade between the two countries, which stands at a mere 60 million dollars. The Russians also showed interest in investing in Pakistan, particularly in the field of heavy machinery, construction equipment and agricultural products. In the past, the two countries collaborated on the massive steel mill project and have recently decided to collaborate in the field of space technology. The challenge today is to build on such past cooperation. Clearly, both countries stand to gain substantially by improving trade and diplomatic ties. Forgetting the past and moving forward to a new era of cordiality is clearly the best option for Pakistan and Russia in a world no more haunted by the cold war.
RECENT events have not helped India’s ruling National Democratic Alliance coalition. At least four constituent members of the NDA are up in arms against the BJP government’s decision not to sack Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, despite his offer of resignation. The Congress-led opposition, for its part, has come out strongly on the issue, and against a proposal to hold early elections in the state — in itself a most brazen attempt to ride high on Hindu communal passions. The two issues have held up proceedings at both houses of parliament for the past two days, including debates on the budget and a move to censure the BJP government for its handling of the Gujarat riots. The opposition within the coalition, led by the Telegu Desam Party with its 28 members, has sharply disagreed with the government’s stance, saying that the BJP viewpoint — that the issue is an internal matter for the party at the state level — is untenable and that Mr Modi must go. On top of all of this, Mr Vajpayee’s remarks last week at a public rally suggesting that Muslims could not live peacefully anywhere and, hence, were to blame for the violence in India have not helped matters.
Unfortunately, the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have decided to go over to the offensive. Independent rights activists and diplomats suggest that as many as 3,000 people might have died and over 100,000 displaced in Gujarat. However, instead of taking blame and accepting Mr Modi’s resignation, the BJP seems bent on giving the thumbs-up to his thoroughly discredited state government. One can only imagine the disconsolation this would be fuelling among minorities all over India. The message they get from the BJP is loud and clear: even if thousands of your kind die in communal violence, expect no justice since it is the Hindu votes which elect it and that it is answerable only to the majority community.
THE half-finished structure in Burnes’ Garden stands as testimony to our apathy to the memory of two distinguished Pakistanis, who, at the time of independence, were invited to make Karachi their home by the Quaid-i-Azam. Responding to the invitation, the couple — Attiya Begum, of Turkish royal descent, and her husband, Fayzee Rahamin — sold their house, the Aiwan-i-Riffat, in Mumbai and moved to Karachi. Here, they were allotted a portion of the Burnes’ Garden to build their new Aiwan-i-Riffat, truly a house of treasure: Attiya Begum had a large collection of Turkish antiques and Fayzee Rahamin a large number of paintings, including his own and those of the masters. Unfortunately, in the couple’s latter years, the municipality officials charged that the house was built illegally on KMC land. They raided the Aiwan-i-Riffat and walked away with many antiquities. The couple never recovered from the shock: Rahamin died in 1964 and Attiya in 1967.
What remained of the couple’s belongings — still a sizable treasure — was shifted to Denso Hall, where it rusted for a few years, and then moved to the store rooms of the Burnes’ Garden. It was during the first Benazir government in the early 1990s that the authorities decided to make amends for their stupidity by building an auditorium, a library and a gallery to house the antiquities left behind by the late couple. Land was finally acquired from the KMC and funds were allocated for the construction of a multistorey building. For over a decade now, a skeleton of the new Aiwan-i Riffat has existed, with funds earmarked for its completion diverted to other projects. It is time the authorities completed this delayed project and gave the city a much-needed cultural hub, thereby honouring Attiya Begum and Fayzee Rahamin in death and atoning for what the authorities did to them in their old age.