SUMMARY of the Article “Time to let Pak-India ties wait,” by Jawed Naqvi, Dawn, November 5th, 2024
In his article, Jawed Naqvi delves into the complexities of the India-Pakistan relationship, emphasizing that efforts to mend ties may be premature given the current political climates in both countries. Since their independence, the two nations have shared a turbulent relationship, often marred by distrust and conflict. Naqvi recounts several instances of goodwill between the countries in past decades, such as Pakistanis traveling to India in the 1960s for cultural reasons, or the welcoming reception Indian cricket fans received in Lahore in 2004. However, he also highlights the shift towards hostility, particularly as India’s political climate has grown increasingly hostile toward Muslims, including those in Pakistan. Mani Shankar Aiyar, a long-time advocate for peace between the countries, recently suggested that the visit of India’s Foreign Minister to Islamabad for the SCO summit hinted at a potential for improved relations, though Naqvi remains skeptical. He argues that genuine peace cannot be achieved if it serves only the interests of tycoons and power elites rather than ordinary citizens. Furthermore, Naqvi criticizes the Indian media’s tendency to sensationalize India-Pakistan tensions, often overshadowing more urgent global issues such as environmental degradation, conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and other geopolitical crises. He illustrates this with anecdotes, such as a journalist focusing on Kashmir during an interview with the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi, despite broader regional turmoil. He also reflects on how former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly advocated for talks with India, even at times when the global focus should have been elsewhere. Naqvi ultimately suggests that India-Pakistan relations should be given time to evolve naturally, without forced gestures of goodwill that do not align with the domestic and international realities.
Easy/Short SUMMARY:
This article discusses the complex and often tense relationship between India and Pakistan, suggesting that both countries might benefit from waiting before trying to improve ties. The writer recalls past moments of friendship, like cultural visits in the 1960s and cricket matches in 2004, but he notes that political attitudes have shifted, especially in India, where anti-Muslim sentiments are more common. He criticizes the media for often focusing on India-Pakistan issues instead of more urgent global problems, such as conflicts in Gaza and climate change. In conclusion, he suggests that both nations should let their relationship develop more slowly rather than pushing for peace without addressing deeper issues.
SOLUTIONS to the Problem:
Promote Regional Cooperation and Multilateral Engagement
Encourage India and Pakistan to participate in multilateral forums such as SCO, BRICS, and SAARC, which promote collaboration on common goals. Through these platforms, they can indirectly improve diplomatic relations without the immediate pressure to resolve all bilateral issues.
Prioritize Domestic Peace-Building Measures
Both governments should invest in domestic initiatives to reduce anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan or anti-India sentiment. This could include educational campaigns that promote unity, coexistence, and cultural understanding.
Focus on Cultural and People-to-People Exchange
Reinstate visa schemes for family reunions, cultural events, and student exchange programs that allow people from both countries to experience each other’s culture firsthand, building understanding at a grassroots level.
Minimize Media Sensationalism on Bilateral Tensions
Both countries should encourage media organizations to cover India-Pakistan issues responsibly and avoid sensationalizing conflict. Regulatory bodies could ensure that coverage remains fact-based and avoids inflammatory language.
Improve Economic Linkages and Business Collaborations
Explore areas where economic collaboration is possible, such as in trade and energy projects, which can benefit both sides financially and create interdependencies that promote stability.
Establish Bilateral Agreements on Non-Violent Diplomacy
Develop frameworks that commit both nations to avoid hostile rhetoric, especially during crises. Diplomatic commitments to avoid inflammatory statements can help reduce tensions and prevent misunderstandings.
Encourage Interfaith and Intercommunity Dialogue
Religious leaders from both countries could be invited to dialogues on peace and coexistence, which may foster goodwill among communities and reduce hate speech based on religion or nationality.
Use Conflict-Free Forums to Explore Peace Initiatives
Shift some diplomatic dialogue to neutral international settings where less contentious issues can be discussed to build trust without the pressure of domestic political agendas.
Engage Young People in Peace-Building Efforts
Encourage youth-led initiatives across both countries that advocate for peace and conflict resolution, which could build a generation that sees beyond historical animosities.
Implement Long-Term Trust-Building Projects
Develop initiatives such as joint environmental projects or research collaborations that serve long-term interests and involve regular interaction between both sides, reinforcing cooperation and trust.
IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article:
- Jaswant Singh, former Indian Foreign Minister, described the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit as a “stalled caravan of peace,” symbolizing the unresolved nature of India-Pakistan relations.
- In the 1960s, many Pakistanis traveled to India for cultural purposes, with relatives often shopping in the Karol Bagh market.
- In 2004, Indian cricket fans received a warm welcome in Pakistan, highlighting moments of goodwill between the countries.
- Mani Shankar Aiyar sees hope for improved ties, citing the visit of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to Pakistan for the SCO summit.
- Naqvi criticizes the Indian media for often focusing on India-Pakistan relations at the expense of global crises, including climate change, Gaza, and Ukraine conflicts.
- Naqvi mentions the threat of missile strikes after Pakistan captured an Indian air force pilot, illustrating the brinkmanship in their military relations.
MCQs from the Article:
1. What metaphor did Jaswant Singh use to describe India-Pakistan relations after the Agra summit?
- A. A broken bridge
- B. A stalled caravan of peace
- C. A closed door
- D. An endless tunnel
2. In which year did Indian cricket fans receive a warm welcome in Pakistan?
- A. 2000
- B. 1999
- C. 2004
- D. 2010
3. Who recently highlighted the potential for improved India-Pakistan ties due to the Indian Foreign Minister’s visit to Pakistan?
- A. Nawaz Sharif
- B. Mani Shankar Aiyar
- C. Jaswant Singh
- D. Yevgeny Prigozhin
4. According to the article, what kind of projects might help in building India-Pakistan trust in the long term?
- A. Economic sanctions
- B. Joint environmental projects
- C. Increasing defense budgets
- D. Reducing trade restrictions
5. What does Naqvi criticize about the Indian media in the article?
- A. Its focus on India-Pakistan relations despite larger global issues
- B. Its lack of coverage on environmental issues
- C. Its praise of Indo-Pak relations
- D. Its preference for economic topics over political issues
VOCABULARY:
- Vitriol (تیزابیت) – Bitter and cruel criticism
- Tango (رقص) – To interact closely, often used to mean an intricate relationship
- Indoctrinate (ذہنی تربیت) – To teach a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically
- Benignly (نرمی سے) – Gently and kindly
- Missive (پیغام) – A written letter, often formal or lengthy
- Rapprochement (مصالحت) – An establishment or resumption of harmonious relations
- Obsessive (جنونی) – Overly focused or fixated on a single idea
- Tycoon (امیر کاروباری) – A wealthy and powerful businessperson
- Burgeoning (پھلتا پھولتا) – Growing or expanding rapidly
- Encroachment (دراندازی) – Intruding or infringing on someone’s territory or rights
- Exorcised (جھاڑ پھونک کرنا) – Removed or driven out
- Delicately (نرمی سے) – With care or gentleness
- Hostility (دشمنی) – Unfriendliness or opposition
- Goodwill (خیر سگالی) – Friendly and helpful feelings
- Clamour (شور) – A loud and confused noise or demand
- Intransigence (عدم تعاون) – Unwillingness to compromise or change one’s views
- Facade (ظاہری شکل) – A misleading outward appearance
- Backdrop (پس منظر) – The setting or background of an event
- Conducive (مددگار) – Making a certain outcome likely or possible
- Teetering (ڈگمگانا) – To move unsteadily, often close to tipping over
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dawn.com
Time to let Pak-India ties wait
Jawed Naqvi
THERE’S a time for everything, as the saying goes, which includes canvassing for better ties between India and Pakistan. Their relations since inception have been marked by ups and downs, and today they are looking more stuck than threatening on their rusty slide.
Savour the description that former foreign minister Jaswant Singh offered after the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit ended fruitlessly in Agra: “The caravan of peace has stalled, not overturned.” A viable suggestion to let the ties mature unhurriedly.
There was a time in the 1960s when the wounds of partition had barely healed, and trainloads of Pakistanis and Indians were crossing the border every day. Some travelled from Karachi for the flimsiest of reasons — on one occasion to watch Dilip Kumar romance Madhubala in a movie that played on the memory of Mughal grandeur. Cousins would look out for Rubia voile fabric in the crowded lanes of Karol Bagh market where they were warmly received by Punjabi shopkeepers still struggling with the trauma of 1947.
There was a time too when prime minister Vajpayee instructed his cricket team to win hearts in Pakistan. Indians who came to Lahore to watch the long overdue one-day international in 2004, found themselves lavished with warmth they had never imagined. There was amazing hospitality everywhere. Many returned home loaded with gifts and fond memories of free rides in taxis and exotic food courts that didn’t charge them a paisa.
There was a time too when young Pakistanis were taught to see India as an enemy country and Indians were taught with the state’s help to respect their brethren everywhere. A four- or five-year-old cousin from Pakistan told us in the Ayub era how he wanted to become a pilot and drop bombs on India. Today, it is India’s turn to indoctrinate its masses to hate Muslims, among them Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. This, ironically, when everyone barring the extremists in Pakistan seek improved ties with India.
Give the hacks half a chance and they would muscle their way through the most urgent topics to frame a discussion on India-Pakistan troubles.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, the incorrigible optimist and campaigner for India-Pakistan friendship, wrote recently that he saw an opening for better days ahead in the visit to Islamabad by India’s foreign minister, who represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO summit last month.
Aiyar spoke of a few ideas about connectivity and prosperity in Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s address to the Shanghai club. The SCO charter, however, also speaks of good neighbourly relations, which Jaishankar perhaps unknowingly skipped.
Aiyar sees improved ties with Pakistan as paving the way for happier tidings for Indian Muslims. The question then needs to be asked: if the horse befriends the grass what would it eat? Why would a patently communal government stop hating Muslims?
If keeping bad relations with Pakistan is an element in the political drive to target Muslims, which the Hindutva clan has benefited from, then the hatred has to be first exorcised at home. Or, as the cynics would say, give Adani or Ambani a share in a gas pipeline project in Pakistan, to override Hindutva’s communal necessity. That would reset the ties to a new high, though the people on both sides would not be integral to such rapprochement.
Wasn’t there an Indian tycoon lodged in a Lahore hotel with a missive from PM Modi not too long ago? Either way, it doesn’t make sense to clamour for India-Pakistan ties in which the people don’t have a central role. The Nobel Peace Prize went to Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin, but to what avail? Genuine peace needs to be rooted in the people’s interest, not the tycoons’ or the ever-lurking foreign strategy minders’.
It is curious, therefore, to see the Indian media that spouts vitriol against Pakistan being always ready to broach the status of the ties. The world is teetering on the brink of an unutterable catastrophe, but Indian journalists rarely fail to undermine the grim reality. For them, it’s India-Pakistan ties come what may, replete with their overt or covert slant.
A former ambassador to Islamabad went a step further. He claimed in his memoirs that India was planning to shoot missiles into Pakistan had it not promptly returned the air force pilot it had captured after shooting down an Indian warplane. And Pakistan would have sat on its haunches? What else can it be called other than puerile propaganda and obsessive one-upmanship between two nuclear upstarts?
Give the hacks half a chance and they would muscle their way through the most urgent discussions on the table, say, on the collapsing political world order, the sapling planted by BRICS to challenge the dollar’s hegemony, apocalyptic environmental degradation, the unspeakable massacres underway in Gaza, Congo, Ukraine, and, above all, the eerie Israel-Iran spiral, to frame a discussion on India-Pakistan troubles.
The Maldives was hosting a summit of the Saarc nations in 1997 where it underlined the threat to its existence by global warming as the rising ocean would swamp it. But the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers entered the room, and the topic turned to their tango.
In a similar spectacle recently, the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi was being interviewed by an Indian journalist. While the Middle East is on fire, her concern focused on why Iran’s supreme leader mentioned Kashmir to target India. The seasoned ambassador benignly let the female TV anchor grind his delicately woven Persian carpet in the room with her nail-head heels. As a parting shot, though, he let her know that India had ongoing run-ins with other countries, for example, the US or the UK over Sikh expatriates. But it scantly affected their stable ties.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has since the Lahore summit favoured talks with India. On a day when he should have held forth on the importance of the SCO summit underway he was expressing hopes for better ties to a visiting Indian journalist even as the world was exploding not far away.
The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi.
Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2024
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