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Kargil
21st June 1999 Bad Rajiv @hotmail.com
The amount of passion visible in the postings to this site indicates that my fellow readers are a sensitive, concerned group. Passion is a wonderful thing, the font of all creativity, but does sometimes act as a barrier to receptivity. I do hope you will read the following with an open mind. 1. I suspect that the partition was an extension of the infamous "divide and rule" strategy of the British (probably in consultation with the Americans and other "superpowers") 2. I suspect that the continuing hostility between our 2 countries has subtly been encouraged by the West. 3. I believe that if we could learn to resolve our problems peacefully and cooperated with each other we could become a major world force (Imagine a combined cricket team to start with. Who could stand up to them? No one! The world cup would become a farce) 4. I believe that the evolution of mankind is now making the concept of nation states and their sovereignty less relevant than ever before. The concept of governance as practiced even today in India is not as a servant of people and society but as a patriarchal ruler. No wonder incumbency is an automatic disqualifier for reelection. 5. I suspect we'll stay locked into this Kashmir problem for ever and ever if we don't look beyond the traditional and conservative alternatives that have failed us till today. 6. Let's face it. The Kargil tragedy serves the interests of a number of people. Some will get political benefit, many will make lots of money. Only the innocent will die (on both sides), and feel sadness. 7. I think we should respect the patriotism and passion of the average Pakistani as much as we respect our own. After all, he views India as an aggressor because that is the news that is presented to him. Just as we conclude from what we are told that they are at fault. Righteous indignation isn't a great attitude with which to solve problems. 8. In all our "moral" and righteous posturing, we seem to have forgotten that India is supposed to be a democracy in which every citizen's views have to be respected. Has anyone asked the Kashmiri people what they want? I'm not talking plebiscite to choose between Pakistan and India. These are only two choices. There are many, many more. I am talking true self-determination in the absolute sense of the word. If we believe we have the moral right to preach principles to the rest of the world, we need to put our money where our mouth is and ask our Kashmiri brethren (all of them, Hindu, Muslim and others) what they want. We need to do this with full conviction and transparency, in full view of the world, and accept that the task of making sure that their views are respected becomes the responsibility of the world. We have no moral right to inflict our views on the Kashmiris. Acting with this kind of open conviction can actually prevent conflict. Isn't it time we grew up? Successive governments seem to have been under the impression that maintaining the "territorial integrity" of the nation is some God-given task they have to perform at the cost of basic functions such as maintaining law and order and providing drinking water and electricity and roads. What territorial integrity? The present India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are an amalgamation of various states forged together by the British and then divided in a manner that suited their interests more than anyone else's. Even today it seems that the country is ungovernable through its present systems which are under severe strain. It is clear that a far more federal structure is just waiting to happen, whether through anticipation or conflict. How long will we continue to be pawns on the international chessboard? All divisiveness, religious or cultural jingoism, and silly righteousness keeps us weak and impotent, nuclear toys notwithstanding. As I see it, we need governments that understand their that their duties lie in satisfying the aspirations of millions of individual human beings, not in perpetuating the power of state institutions. This includes "territorial integrity". I thought Vajpayee was a poet before he became a politician. Can't he see this? Or is power so seductive that even poets forget humanity? Stop the killing immediately. Use morality and media as a weapon. Put 10 IAF aircraft up in the air with video cameras that are constantly available for viewing to the whole world. In fact, ask the world to send their monitors also. We have (or should not have) nothing to hide. Let the infiltrators be visible to the world. Let them retreat out of there in shame. No need to waste precious lives in pushing them out. The western media is biased, I'm told. All that means is that we haven't learned to manage western media. They can be managed quite easily. The rules are now public knowledge. Our government institutions are too steeped in their old fashioned ways to understand the new rules. True and aggressive transparency are weapons against which even Bill Clinton is helpless. Its a new world out there, with a whole set of new rules. Open our minds to these and we can gain prosperity, peace and quality of life. Stick to the patronising, old fashioned rules and systems of governance, and nothing will change. Too much innocence here, do you think, fellow readers? Or savvy?
