THE imbroglio over the presence of Pakistani actor, Fawad Khan in the movie by Karan Johar, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (Oh heart, so difficult to live) was totally unjustified. Hijacking the movie and holding it to ransom for the welfare of defense personnel was unprecedented and it hurt the honor and image of the Indian armed forces.
One incident after another has not only increased the acrimony between the two nations, but they have also created or rather widened the divide between the people of the two countries. Of course, the media on both sides has continued to add fuel to the fire as newspapers and TV channels compete with each other to take a lead in demonstrating patriotism and nationalism, the measure of which involves hatred of the other nation.
While one South Indian actress, Ramya, was ridiculed and mocked for praising the people of Pakistan and charged with sedition in India, a Pakistani fan of the Indian cricketer, Virat Kohli was arrested and put behind bars for innocently hoisting the flag of India in support of his hero.
The other day, I saw a video clip reporting that Zee TV Channel had invited Umar Shareef, a renowned Pakistani artist, known in the Indian subcontinent as the “king of comedy” to perform at the 2004 Zee Cine Awards.
Incidentally, the news channel of Zee TV has become more or less a mouthpiece of the right wing ruling party. In the past, numerous Pakistani artists were given prominent honors and awards by various Indian organizations and were invited to perform before huge audiences. Barring a few brief periods, when there were high-level visits and meetings between the heads of the two states, in these 70-odd years, the situation has never been very cordial or normal between the two nations who have fought four major wars. However, there were never any restrictions with regard to artists performing across the borders and these artists were appreciated and applauded.
While Indian movies were screened in Pakistani theaters and watched by millions of people there; Pakistani TV serials always found a ready audience in India for a variety of reasons including beautiful stories and the use of language. Visits and attendance by poets and other artists from either side at literary and cultural events were common. The situation never sank to the level we find now even in the aftermath of the terror attack of 26/11 in Mumbai by terrorists who entered India from Pakistani waters.
Both nations have deprived their population of opportunities for development by allocating a huge portion of their budgets to defense and military expenditure, if not for naked aggression, then to deter aggression. In countries that have millions of human beings who live below the poverty line and do not get two square meals a day and where millions of children are deprived of their right to education, huge expenditures on military and weapons are a cause of grave concern.
The fears of conflict or war propaganda will keep these nations in the shackles of poverty and ignorance. Patriotism and nationalism are definitely required, but amassing large stockpiles of arms and weapons is a grave folly, which will be paid for not just with sweat and blood, but with the loss of honor and dignity for reckless destruction and devastation.
There is also the sensitive issue of the use or rather the grave folly of the misuse of nuclear power. There is no doubt that nuclear warfare would spell disaster of catastrophic proportions for both nations, spreading death and misery across the Indian subcontinent. As the wounds of the two partitions are entrenched in our minds, we cannot afford to have any other war or conflict in the region.
The issue of Kashmir had been a bone of contention since the time of the partition. There can be no denial of the fact that the first conflagration in 1948 immediately after the partition was the handiwork of Pakistan and many political analysts of Pakistan have admitted that folly.
It is possible that if that had not happened, Kashmir might have become a separate nation just like Nepal or Bhutan. Regardless of the party that was responsible for that conflict, a permanent solution is a must to let Kashmiris on both sides of the border live in peace and have the opportunity to develop and prosper like the people of other nations.
Safi H. Jannaty,
Dammam
