December 16, 2004

Let us be clear about it. No country can physically occupy the territory of Pakistan. What happened in East Pakistan after 1971 and what is happening now in Iraq proves this contention. The misapprehension that India is much too eager to grab Pakistan has remained in the psyche of the Pakistanis for too long. There were valid reasons for this nightmarish fear.

In the initial stages, many opponents of Pakistan believed that the newly born country would not be able to survive. Indeed there were many factors that led to this conclusion and strengthened this view.

Pakistan lacked physical resources. It was not financially viable. It had no essential infrastructure to sustain the functioning of a large country. The human material that was available was much too inadequate to meet the new challenges. This situation gave birth to a psychosis and turned a vibrant nation into a morbid mass.

There was nothing wrong with the country as such. It could overcome the teething problems resolutely. This determined will was evident everywhere. Till 1951, four years after independence, many refugee families from India lived in ramshackle carriages in the backyards of railway stations. They had no complaints whatsoever. Though they had lost their hearth and home, and also their past, they cherished a dream which was their sole possession. As there was no worthwhile government department, there were no furniture, no place to work. But their faith in their dream was absolute. That was enough to sustain them through a hard period of existence.

Unfortunately, a group of ambitious civil sertvants hijacked the dream of the common people. As they were no part of the sustained struggle that Mohammad Ali Jinnah had launched for the emancipation of the Indian Muslims, they failed to understand the significance of the Pakistan movement. They were skilled in machinations and served narrow group interests. They were not involved with the problems of the common man, they lived in a secluded island of their wishful thinking. This was the main reason which obstructed the path of progress and stopped the march of a democratic culture.

Now the people are amazed at the pace of development in India and China, which became independent two years later. While India pursued the course devised by its leaders for the formation of a truly democratic society, China in the beginning adhered to the Marxist ideology. But China has learnt a great deal in the process of of its development. On the contrary, we made a mess of the opportunities that came our way.

In about 25 years, our unrealisatic policies earned us many enemies. The people of East Pakistan who had played a crucial role in the creation of Pakistan lost faith in the destiny of the new nation. It was not a mere coincidence that Maulvi Fazlul Haq of Barisal had moved the famous Lahore Resolution in 1940. Then there were H.S.Suhrawardy and many others who had actively worked to safeguard the interests of the Indian Muslims. But all these genuine spokesmen of the Bengali Muslims were ignored and merrily abandoned. The setup in Rawalpindi-Islamabad failed to appreciate their problems. The Bengalis who had a distinct language, culture and tradition could not be coerced into accepting any scheme of things forcibly. They resented and resisted any such move.

If the federal authorities had realized the gravity of the situation, they might have taken corrective measures. But this was not to be. The gulf between the two wings of Pakistan continued to widen. India did play a decisive role in it. And much to the distaste of many Bengalis, a new country, Bangladesh, emerged on the map of the world.

India could not keep Bangladesh under its occupation for more than three months. The proud people of the newly liberated country would not allow any infringement of their right to govern their land.

The perceived threat from India has weakened our resolve to take the country onto the path of progress.The country must have a strong defence and must be able to take on the enemies. Only an insane person would advocate a weak defence. Priority must be given to the measures which ensure our safety and integrity. Good governance means that we allocate our resources in such a manner that the social sectors are not neglected.

Now that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, the threat of an armed attack by our neighbour should be reduced. A nuclear war can cause a holocaust engulfing both the countries. The ravages of the World War II are still fresh in human memory. It is perhaps in this context that a peace wave has overtaken the entire world.

The prospects may not be very bright, but hopes have been revived about acceptable solutions of the two problems — Palestine and Kashmir.

There is substance in what President Musharraf says about the security problems of Pakistan. The country does not have any threat of foreign aggression. But there is a real danger from within. The social structure has to change. The values rooted in obsessive dogmatic concepts must be banished. Then, and only then, a society based on justice and fair play can emerge.

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