How long shall this ambivalence continue?
Time is a big healer and heals almost every scar, but it seems bloodstained partition of 1947 is haunting India and Pakistan like a ghost even after decades. Whether partition was right or wrong, that is a different issue and the trickiest subject for historians? Whether or not we accept it, but Partition was the outcome of ego and intrigue by almost every shade of political leadership and catalyzed by murky forethought of departing British. The ultimate losers were the poor people! Anyways, partition and creation of India and Pakistan and later intriguing breakup of Pakistan in 1971 along with some unresolved issues as festering sores is more than a fact now. People of India and Pakistan have accepted the reality of partition; have been trying to reconcile and move forward with positive thinking, but unfortunately almost every political dispensations in both the countries never reconciled with the facts of partition and made their politics to rest and flourish on hostility and confrontation.
After more than six decades when much of 1947 mayhem scares have got washed from the people’s memory, managers of India and Pakistan are nowhere near resolution of their animosity. To bolster their rancorous conduct they have Kashmir issue to boast about. Kashmir problem is not only a historic mistake and worst creation of conspiratorial minds but a festering sore. In present chaotic world scenario, where almost every other country is one way or the other entangled in issues and conflicts, Kashmir issue seems progressing towards a flash-point of much greater magnitude, and if not resolved with prudence and political will it may explode the whole subcontinent. In a situation where next World war is knocking at our door, ignoring Kashmir issue will prove detrimental not only for India and Pakistan, but the whole region.
Unfortunately, no leadership in India and Pakistan could ever muster certain courage to address Kashmir and resolve other multifarious issues. Tashkent summit and Vajpayee initiative were some green patches in otherwise barren relationship of two countries. Deadly wars and several covert skirmishes could not make better sense to prevail within the overall polity of both countries and instead, even after acquiring the deadliest nuclear weaponry they are nowhere near reconciliation. Regrettably, relations between two countries change colour with every changing season and preferably after every change in guard and political leadership. Such state of affairs reveals the level of hostility within the two countries and no one but only the leadership of these countries alone can help heal the 1947 partition scars and resolve much awaited vexed Kashmir issue. The ‘blow hot blow’ cold attitude of Indian and Pakistani leadership and an ever fluid situation in Kashmir may secure the political castles of politicians across the borders but the peace in the region and plight of common-man on either side will never change and will have to suffer relentlessly.
The recent exposures of secret meetings between Indian and Pakistani leadership in the backdrop of much charged political atmosphere is both exciting and intriguing. And sudden announcement of Indian intentions to resume talks with Pakistan after a spell of rude accusations and demeaning from both sides can be termed as positive, but at the end of the day it should not prove the same old story of well-timed attention diverting ploy within their political constituencies. Leaders of two countries have to grow, demonstrate the real sense of maturity and resolve their issues. In the process of their growth they have to be altruistic enough; renounce the atoot ang and jugular vein rhetoric and should take the authentic leadership of Kashmir on board. Browbeating, and denying the Kashmiri people a say can ensure timely peace and satisfy the pseudo nationalistic ego of many, but ultimately such jingoism will lead these nations and their people nowhere.
Time has come, where Indian and Pakistani leadership will have to have a holistic view of the world around, facing hovering confusion with hostile political and economic ramifications and should explore whatever existing possibility of peace within the region. That way, they will not only do justice with their respective countries and people but will correspondingly provide an opportunity of peace and tranquility in the whole world, where self-proclaimed superpowers have let lose their reign of terror and hegemony.