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Pak-India
Relations: Challenges and Opportunities
BY
ISHTIAQ AHMED
Lahore
qualified uniquely to symbolise the spirit of peace and solidarity
between the two countries because demands for a free India and Pakistan
were raised in this great historical city — on December 19, 1929 by
the Indian National Congress and on March 23, 1940, by the All-India
Muslim League. The realisation of such conflicting national projects was
painful and bloody. Now is the time to take a long, philosophical look
at those troubled times, accept the verdict of history and move forward.
So, what are the challenges and opportunities on the way?
The first and foremost challenge is that of demonising and dehumanising
of the ‘Other’. The ‘Other’ is the Hindu for Pakistan and Muslim
for India. Such a mindset is a prerequisite for justifying
discrimination, persecution, violence and war against the ‘Other’. I
know in Pakistan a powerful constituency comprising right-wing
politicians, parties and journalists, military hawks and terrorist
organisations exists whose only mission is to thwart all efforts to
extend a friendly hand towards India; in India there is no dearth of
similar characters, but on the whole the constituency in Pakistan is far
more influential.
The second challenge is systemic. The bureaucracies on both sides,
especially the ones entrenched in the foreign office, follow set
routines and patterns. For 64 years they have been trained to be
suspicious, restrictive and prohibitive when treating visa applications
from the other side. As a result, very little real contact exists
between Indians and Pakistan. After the Mumbai terrorist attacks and
especially after it was found that Pakistani-origin US citizen Daood-David
Coleman Headley had abused his multiple entry visa to India, the Indian
bureaucracy has had a whale of a time in establishing a visa regime that
thrives in treating all Pakistanis with equal suspicion. Only an Indian
national can tell us if it is as bad at the Pakistani end.
The third challenge is posed by external spoilers. In the so-called
anti-imperialist rhetoric that the leftist intellectuals are famous for
mouthing, it is typical to assume a US conspiracy by default that never
lets these two countries normalise their relations because if that were
to happen its own influence would wane. That might have been true during
the Cold War, but for quite some time now the Americans have been
engaged in helping these two neighbours sort out their differences. So,
it is time to look for other possible villains of the piece. China
possibly can be considered for such a role but it will all depend on the
equation that will evolve between India and China. There are some
indications that both these Asian giants may prioritise economic growth
and mutual trade may be an important component of it. Therefore, it is
important that Pakistan learns to take care of its own interests.
More specifically, the challenge posed by extremism and terrorism by
hardcore religious fanatics is the biggest challenge we face. There is
no denying that for jihadist organisations, banned formally but not
dismantled, keeping India and Pakistan at loggerheads is their bread and
butter. In India as well, Saffron terrorists have been identified a
number of times, most notably in the attack on the Samjhauta Express in
2007. Then of course the Shiv Sena is always there to remind us that a
fascist mindset is entrenched in Maharashtra and particularly Mumbai.
For Pakistan, a real challenge can be open and free trade with India. I
have heard genuine concerns being aired by manufacturers and
factory-owners that India can flood our markets with cheap goods. I told
them that China has already done that in a big way, so perhaps Indian
products can help to diversify such a challenge and it may not be a bad
thing if we can use it for the benefit of our consumers.
Then there are the challenges of the deeper structural and environmental
type that both India and Pakistan face, but which can only be dealt with
effectively if they work together. The increasing gap between poor and
rich, environmental degradation, sinking water levels, unbridled
population growth — all pose immediate and long-term challenges that
cannot be ignored and need attention right now.
However, 2011 is also a year of opportunities for both nations. Pakistan
can miss a golden opportunity if we do not jump onto the bandwagon of
economic growth that originated in East Asia, then moved towards
Southeast Asia and then continued westwards to India. Bangladesh very
wisely decided to hitch its future to it and is reaping impressive
benefits. Pakistan becomes the automatic candidate to be on this
fast-moving bandwagon of economic growth and development. A vast market
exists that extends from Afghanistan into Central Asia for Indian and
Pakistani goods.
If India and Pakistan can establish a trade regime that ensures mutual
benefit, the dividends can be enormous. Bangladesh and India have
recently agreed to establish joint industrial ventures, most notably in
the jute industry. Similar enterprises can be established between India
and Pakistan, which ensure a fair share to Pakistan.
The fact that South Asia has been a British colony has not been so bad,
if I dare say so. We have large numbers of professionals, educationists
and technocrats who, because of their ability to function in the English
language, can find jobs and opportunities in Afghanistan and Central
Asia as they connect with the global economy. Even our unskilled
workforce can be of interest in such markets.
And above all, after a very long time if not for the first time, the
power elites on both sides are talking peace and taking necessary
measures to evolve friendly visa and trade regimes. When nations seize
the historical moment they reap great benefits. Fear, hatred, terrorism,
war — all have been tried and the results are there to see and feel.
Western Europe decided to outlaw war amongst themselves, but only after
two terrible World Wars that cost more than 90 million lives. We need
not commit the same error. Let us instead follow our own sages, sufis,
gurus and secular humanists who down the ages have bequeathed the wisdom
about a common but wounded humanity. That is the great beauty of this
region.
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The
writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm
University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South
Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com
. The article first appeared in The Daily Times on December 4, 2012.
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