The Pakistani Spectator

Any political analysis on Indo-Pakistan relations is like zodiac horoscope, most o which is prediction and the rest is prejudice. Within these limits, we can learn enough from the chain of events, to respect or share one another’s delusions. On the other hand, when Europeans study Indo-Pakistan reviews, they smile at our follies, for our inability to comprehend rationale or logical grooves, of international affairs. While Indians argue that no one invites their enemy to halt and join them for the dialogues when the slide is so steep. As they believe in their self-conceived myth of Pakistan does decline not know that their political calculus is based on erroneous hypothesis?

In the joint statement issued in Beijing after the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, both sides agreed to support efforts for the improvement and growth of relations between India and Pakistan and expressed their desire to welcome efforts directed at creating conducive (atmosphere) to ensure peace, stability and development in South Asia saying “We also believe that a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan can take place only in an environment from terror or the threat of terror” On November 17, Indian spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs in response to a question on US-China joint communiqué was quoted by the APP as saying “the government of India is committed to resolving all the outstanding issues with Pakistan through a peaceful bilateral dialogue in accordance with the Simla Agreement. A third country role cannot be envisaged nor is it necessary”

Indian External Affair spokesman’s statement they are not ready to accept any third country mediation. This is nothing new or startling. Nor Pakistan’s foreign Minister’ desires to resolve the contentious issue through dialogue is any wonder. But what is most interesting, is the gyration of the Indian and Pakistani leaders around in the same circles, when the world is moving with the speed of thoughts.

Subcontinent India has a history of 5000 years. Except archaeological remains of Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Mehargarh civilization, there is no recorded account available except Hindu scripts before 2nd century BC, but traces about Ashoka period or Gupta dynasty recorded by the historians who accompanied Alexander the Great have left a valuable treasure of information. Since then, all dynasties, such as Gupta empire, Pallava kingdomIslamic rule, Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagra empire, Marathas, Durranis and East India Company’s rule to testify that there had never been `forgive and forget’ sort of culture, to bury the past and start a new beginning based on the feeling of `live and let others live’ Call it Indian cult, seeds of their mindset and chip of the same DNA, that all our predecessors gyrated like potter’s wheel around the same vendetta culture.

It is an established fact that an individual is a spore of species and a state is cluster of such spores in the moment of astronomic time. The world community is a transient guest of earth, a composite body of tiny or petty interests. Only a an optimists would try to visualize his future hundred years or centuries ahead, to make their country `Akhund Bharat’ believing that their superiority will revive like ` Gupta dynasty’s Golden Age’. From the statement of the spokesman cited above, it appears that our Indian brethren have not learnt any lesson from the history. It appears that they have neither any idea of our present conditions nor judge the level or frequency of vicissitude of changes, with every passing day. Indian history teaches us nothing except rehearsal of mistakes.

In 1909, Charles Peguy thought that the world changed less since Jesus Christ than in the last 30 years, but one may agree with me that history of Indo-Pakistan has not undergone such a big leap, as it did during the last two years. New Delhi’s moves in mysterious ways quirks of her national character have upset the political equation in South Asia.

The nature governs this universe in a mysterious way. Every advantage has corresponding disadvantage too. In the absence of any cold war polarization, un-moved friendly America to both rivals, relatively calm political theater, serene, flexible and positively inclined China, composed and un-ruffled Moscow and people, hungry for a change at the cost of burying past - this is perhaps the most virtuous time for two nuclear rivals of the subcontinent to move closer for rapprochement. The leader ought to remember that our present is a catalogue of the past, rolled up for action, or past is the present - unrolled for understanding. If we loose these precious moment, history will never forgive us.

In the backdrop of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement issued initially on October 26, during his visit to Sri Nagar for resumption of dialogues without any pre-conditions broke the seal of impasse between the two rivals has again returned to square one.