Changing dimensions of India-Pakistan ties

Posted by on September 22, 2012 in India, Pakistan | Comments Off

Changing dimensions of India-Pakistan ties

By Tridivesh Singh Maini

India-Pakistan ties have traditionally been based on two arguments – one, that no other province is as hostile towards India as Punjab, and two, that only a centre-right regime in India and an army dispensation in Pakistan can bring about any rapprochement.

It is a fact that in 1947, Punjab witnessed the worst bloodshed, and that resulted in the two sides of the region being especially hostile towards each other.

Interaction in the 1950s and 1960s rekindled hopes of some sort of a thaw between the two Punjabs in particular. The war of 1965 dashed all hopes of any such reconciliation since interactions between both sides were made virtually impossible due to the draconian visa regime introduced in the aftermath of this conflict. It should also be kept in mind that Punjab on both sides of border was the battleground during the wars of 1965 and 1971 and both armies, especially the Pakistan army, were seen as Punjabi armies. While the Punjabi dominance in the Indian army no longer exists, in Pakistan it still remains so – though to a lesser degree.

The largest province of Pakistan is no longer averse to peace with India, in fact it is happy to be at the forefront

Secondly, Punjab has been the flag bearer of Pakistani nationalism, and has been more vocal in its Anti-India sentiment right until the 1990s – with politicians and large sections of the media in Pakistani Punjab being inimical to peace between India and Pakistan. During the course of my interaction with the Progressive Writers Association in Islamabad a few days ago, it was interesting to hear one of the Sindhi participants stating that Punjab’s obsession with India is clearly evident from the fact that while in other provinces a loss to India in a cricket match may not be a matter of life and death, in Punjab it is.

During interactions with a cross-section of Pakistani Punjabis in the course of my visit, I noticed that the argument of Punjab opposing good relations with India is losing steam. The largest province of Pakistan is no longer averse to peace with India, in fact if anything it is happy to be at the forefront.

This change is not recent, and can be traced back to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s initiatives towards India during his second term, and frequent interactions between the two Punjabs, such as sporting events which began during the regimes of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in Pakistan and Captain Amarinder Singh in India.

The primary reason for this change in the mindset of the political leadership of both Punjabs is the mutual economic benefits of trading with each other and even cooperating in areas such as agriculture, which is the mainstay on both sides. According to Tahir Malik, a senior Urdu journalist, since the late 1990s there has been a shift in the narrative of Pakistani Punjab towards India, with the fringe no longer holding sway. This change is evident not only from Nawaz Sharif’s bold political initiative towards India in 1999 (much to the chagrin of certain sections of the establishment and the right) and his subsequent support for better relations with India even when he has been out of power, but is also evident from the toning down of the remembrance of the 1965 and 1971 wars.

Members of the civil society and sections of the diaspora too have played an important role in pushing for better ties between the two provinces.

The nostalgia of migrants on either side of the border has also been blamed for the tensions between the two countries. While the baggage of partition and the wars have no doubt fuelled acrimony, this nostalgia of the past brings to the fore one of the positives. The urge of individuals who had to migrate during partition to visit their erstwhile homes has been recognized in the recently signed visa agreement which states that individuals over the age of 65 are eligible for visas on arrival.

This attachment with ancestral places on the other side is underscored by the fact that even politicians have not been able to obliterate their emotions. Nawaz Sharif has made no secret of his affection for his ancestral village in Amritsar, Jatti Umrah, naming his house in Lahore after the village. More recently, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh sent solar panels for the village of Gah, where he hails from. Indian Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is not a member of the ruling UPA coalition in Delhi, welcomed the peace initiative and said that once the visa regime actually liberalizes he would visit Lahore every weekend. Badal has no roots in West Punjab, but graduated from The Sikh National College in 1947.

Apart from Punjab playing spoilsport, it has often been argued that only a centre-right government in India and a military regime in Pakistan, or at least a centre-right party, could bring about peace since their patriotism would not be doubted. If one were to look at Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s peace initiatives vis-a-vis India, they have been wholeheartedly supported by opposition parties such as the PML-N and not been opposed even by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf. Pakistan’s media, which is critical of Asif Ali Zardari on every issue, has also backed his endeavor for better relations with India.

One only hopes that these two dynamics are not short lived ones, and that dreams of better relations between India and Pakistan turn into a reality.

The author is a New Delhi based columnist and foreign policy analyst

http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20120921&page=9.2

 

 

About K4Kashmir

PROFILE OF Dr SHABIR CHOUDHRY Dr Shabir Choudhry was born in Nakker Shamali (near Panjeri) in District Bhimber, Azad Kashmir. He went to UK in 1966, and holds a dual nationality. Dr Shabir Choudhry has done extensive research on the issue of Kashmir and Indo Pakistan relations. He passed BA Honours in Politics and History, and Mphil in International Relations (title of the thesis, ‘Kashmir and Partition of India’); and title of his PhD thesis is ‘Kashmir- An issue of a nation not a dispute of a land’. Apart from this Dr Shabir Choudhry passed Post Graduates Certificates in Education, and NVQ Assessor’s qualifications; and taught English in London. Political Achievements Founder member of JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front established in 1977) and got elected as a Press Secretary in 1984. • Became its Secretary General in 1985, and resigned from this post in 1996. • Got elected President of JKLF and Europe in May 1999, and decided not to contest in elections of July 2001. • Said good - bye to the JKLF as it is in many groups and is largely seen as advancing a Pakistani agenda on Kashmir dispute, and set up a new party Kashmir National Party in May 2008. . At present, he is: • Spokesman Kashmir National Party and Director Diplomatic Committee; • Founder member and Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs; Previously • A founder Member and Trustee/ Director of London based registered charity, Kashmir Foundation International and resigned from this position in August 2001. • Regularly take part in the Sessions of the UN Human Rights (Commission) now Council in Geneva; and address various conferences and seminars to oppose violence and highlight the Kashmir cause. • Have addressed dozens of seminars and conferences in the British Parliament, European Parliament and other important capitals of the world on issue of Kashmir, violence and terrorism. • Addressed as a key note speaker in a Conference at New Delhi arranged by Jawahar Lal Nehru University. • Participated in a Round Table Conference on Kashmir, organised by Socialist Group of European Parliament in Brussels in 1993. • Addressed as a Chief Guest in a seminar on issue of Mangla Dam during the UN Sub Commission’s proceedings in August 2003. • Addressed as a key - note speaker in a seminar on the issue of Gilgit and Baltistan, organised by Association of British Kashmiris. • Addressed as a keynote speaker on human rights conference in Paris in 1991. • Addressed at Cambridge University as a Chief Guest in a conference on Kashmir in 1990. • Addressed as a keynote speaker at New Delhi conference on Kashmir, which was part of Track Two diplomacy in November 2000. • In September 2008, addressed a Conference arranged by Interfaith International in Geneva, topic of which was: “Kashmir Issue, Terrorism and Human Rights”. • Addressed as a speaker in a NGO Conference on Self - Determination in Geneva in August 2000. • Addressed as a keynote speaker in a fringe meeting of Liberal Democrats at their Annual Conference in Brighton in 1995. • Participated in World Human Rights Conference in Vienna in 1993. • Before President Clinton's visit to India and Pakistan in 2000, lead a JKLF delegation to the State Department to discuss Kashmir dispute and situation in South Asia. • Also had two rounds of meetings with senior State Department officials before President Musharraf’s meeting to Washington in June 2003. • Apart from that had meetings with senior officials including Ministers of different countries, and also held many meetings with the State Department and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on number of occasions. • Played important role in advancing a Kashmiri perspective on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir; and also helped Baroness Emma Nicholson with her report ‘Kashmir: present situation and future prospects’, which was adopted by the European Parliament in May 2007. • Won first prize in an essay competition in Urdu in 1976. It was organised by High Commission of Pakistan in London, and title of the essay was 'Qaaid-e- Azam's role in Islamic History'. • Apart from that have addressed conferences in Brussels, Geneva, Toronto, Islamabad, Delhi, and Publications • Got first Urdu novel ‘Fareena’ published at the age of eighteen. • Second Urdu novel ‘Bay-Khataa’ which was about the problems of Asian youths living in UK published in 1983. • Third Urdu book ‘Pakistan and Kashmiri struggle for independence’ published in 1990. • Fourth Urdu book is also on Kashmiri struggle, 'Is an independent Kashmir a conspiracy?' • Apart from that has twenty five books and booklets published in English on various aspects of the Kashmiri struggle. • Recent publications are: Kashmir dispute as I see it • Different perspective on Kashmir • JKLF visit to Pakistan Administered Kashmir • Kashmir Needs a Change of Heart • If not self - determination then what? • Emma Nicholson report- who has won? • Struggle for independence, Jihad or proxy war (Introduction by Baroness Emma Nicholson) • Why 22 October 1947 is important in Kashmiri history? • New dimensions of the Kashmiri struggle. The following books are published by a German company and available on www.amazon.co.uk • New Round of the 'Great Game', ISBN 978-3-639-33084-7 • Liberation Struggle, Jihad or a Proxy War, ISBN 978-3-639-33424-1 • Kashmir Dispute: New Dimensions and New Challenges ISBN 978-3-639-33566-8 • Kashmir Dispute and Peace in South Asia ISBN 978-3-639-33732-7 • Terrorism, Kashmir Dispute and Possible Solutions ISBN 978-3-639-34239-0 • Kashmir And The Partition of India, (my Mphil research) ISBN 978-3-639-34801-9 • Kashmir – an Issue of a Nation not Dispute of a Land, (my PhD research) 978-3-639-35593-2 • Are Kashmiris part of the Kashmir Dispute? 978-3-639-37225-0 • A brief background Dr Shabir Choudhry was born in a small village called Nakker Shamali (near Panjeri) in District Bhimber, Azad Kashmir. He went to UK in 1966, and like other people from the region, holds a dual nationality. He left secondary school in 1970 with no qualifications and began his life as a textile worker. In 1975 he started part time studies and passed Matriculation from Government High School Panjeri, passed ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from UK, and resumed full time degree course in 1981, and passed BA (Hons) in Politics and History in 1984. He continued full time and part time jobs until he got his Mphil. He passed his PGCE (Post Graduates Certificate in Education) in 1990, and then started full time job as a Lecturer. Due to health problems he resigned from teaching in 1999. At present he is self - employed, provides private tuition, translation and interpretation and consultancy. Through out his adult life he has actively worked for the cause of Kashmir, and even during long illness he effectively carried out his responsibilities as a leader of the JKLF, a ‘prolific writer’ and consistent campaigner of Rights Movement and peace in Jammu and Kashmir and South Asia. Dr Shabir Choudhry Email:drshabirchoudhry@googlemail.com Telephone: 0044 (0)7790942471

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