Saturday, July 25, 2009
PAKISTAN V/S HAFIZ SAEED = INDIA V/S LK ADVANI - By Ghulam Muhammed
Saturday, July 25, 2009
PAKISTAN V/S HAFIZ SAEED = INDIA V/S LK ADVANI
Since 26/11/2006, not a day has passed when India has not been haranguing Pakistan to publicly punish the perpetrator of that ghastly carnage that has bedeviled any move from both the neighbours to start on a reconciliation dialog.
Indian people could only derive from the public announcements of their leaders and form media analysis of the various turns and twists of Pakistan government's prevarication on the matter.
However, analysts feel the limits of the authority of both governments to take steps in such matters, without first taking into account of the opposition from a section of their own public.
No sooner Prime Minister returned from Sharam al Sheikh NAM meeting, bring in an agreement between India and Pakistan, Advani made so much noise on the very idea of signing an 'agreement' without first getting Pakistan to move over 26/11 culprits and see them hanged. His whole party walked out of Lok Sabha over the Prime Minister's replies.
In fact, Advani has set his mind against any rapprochement towards Pakistan. It was this single person, that sabotaged Agra summit agreement, even though it was finalized by his own party's leader, Prime Minister Vajpayee. All he did was to ask Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf, to show his bona-fide on Indo-Pak rapprochement, by handing over Dawood Ibrahim to India. Advani was fully aware that Musharraf cannot accede to his spur of the moment demand and still he used this ploy to sabotage a landmark moment in history, when both sides could have delivered on their agreements, without having to bother with any opposition in both camps. But unfortunately, for Vajpayee the opposition was in his own camp.
It can be argued that just as India has Advani to be tackled in case it decides to move towards any agreement with Pakistan, Pakistan too has to contend with stumbling block like Hafiz Saeed and his hold on masses. Both democratically elected governments are seriously weakened by ideological oppositions that refuse to give any quarters to each other on the basis of pathological hatred. The whole nations are hostage to the belligerence of opposition that threatens the democratic elected governments on both sides of the borders. People on both sides, should take this factor into account, before resorting to automatic mistrust of the other side.
It is time, we give peace a chance to see how the people in the subcontinent could rise above their differences and their short history of separation and join hands and minds to march towards a new future of mutual respect, peace and prosperity.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
www.GhulamMuhammed.Blogspot.com
