I am sure that most of us, faithful tabloid reading schmucks that we are have had our visual and all other senses assaulted by the latest endeavor by the Times Group to save the world. The front pages carrying the large caption.
‘Love Pakistan.’
‘Aman Ki Asha.’
‘An Indo-Pak Peace Project.’
‘THE FIRST STEP.’
And a red and a green dove trying out the latest sex position in pigeon world.
Well, I guess the heading of this blog post kind of makes my feelings on the matter very clear.
Fuck Pakistan.
Terror, hatred and fanaticism are apparently the words very unduly related with Pakistan. The article claims that we have been fed these words in daily doses over the last 60 years.
Bull shit.
The words have not been fed to us in enough amounts. If it had, then we wouldn’t have committed the grave historical mistakes that we have been committing very consistently over the 60 years. That we started committing a few months into the birth of our nation. That we have committing ever since. Diplomatic blunder after diplomatic blunder. Tashkent, Shimla, Agra. We have been harping about the brotherhood of a nation that was never united with us except under the whip of colonial masters. We have been cheerfully waving our hands at them while the President of the country declared to kill our country by bleeding it death. We were cracking smart-ass jokes when they were committing the best minds and half of the national budget to developing a nuclear bomb after India had one. We were even silent when an Axis of Evil was created connecting China to Pakistan through Kashmir, land that is through all legal documents, Indian.
We have done all that. We have lied to ourselves that it’s the politicos and the dictators that are the original villains. We have been waving for 60 years, hoping, praying that someone on the other side will wave back.
They haven’t.
It says that the people across the border are ‘like us’.
They are not.
The fundamental difference between the two countries lies in the fact that Pakistan is a failure.
Pakistan is a failed state in every respect.
Its pretense of a democracy has long stopped functioning. There have been dictatorships followed by puppet corrupt governments much worse than the latter. Each attempt at stability by the people has seen bloody coups with beheadings to boot.
It is presently a nation at war with itself. There are more Pakistanis dying as the result of the Frankenstein of terrorism that they created. And even as this ‘first step’ is being taken, the latest ‘people’s government’ hurtles towards another army led coup.
And even as every cynical reader would snigger at the very mention of democracy and point at our own, I have just one finger to point at them.
Guess which one?
In spite of all its shortcomings, the Indian system continues to function. In spite of corrupt politicians, communal riots, nepotism, and demands by everyone from the Mormons to the Rajnikanth Fan Club for separate statehood.
It is a diseased, polluting, broken-down machine. But it functions. And it functions better than most countries in the world. And keeping in mind the diversity, differences and all that jazz, we should be damn proud that it does.
Which basically brings us to a very basic question that I have been meaning to ask.
What do we want to do with our time and money?
Do we spend our efforts in taking sides in the schizophrenic psychotics of a multi-headed rabid animal while it spends its time in cooking up the latest method to kill us?
Think about it.
I guess even self-righteous schmucks should have better things to do with their hands.
P.S.- Gonzo rocks. If only people would start listening to me now.
14 comments:
I wouldn't go as far. I know Pakistan is a failed state, but plenty of people in there, ARE like us. The cultural connect is too large to be denied. However, I agree we've got bigger problems and our time and energy should be concentrated here.( I even find missions like chandrayan superfluous. Why not feed people on earth with the millions? The moon can take care of itself). But the government's priorities rarely match the comman man's.
A technocrat comparing Chandrayaan to the peace process. Now I have seen it all. You say they have a cultural similarity. To hell with the cultural similarity. This is a competitive world. Who gives a fuck if they are similar. Tying up with them in any way other than with the business end of an AK-47 is worthless.
I am not talking of bigger problems that we have of our people. I am talking of our dignity, and of the respect that we command. Relating to phlegm like Pakistan is nothing but degrading ourselves. They should be treated like the dogs of the pit that they have dug for themselves. They wanted to be separate .. Let them be...
Well, m'dear, this technocrat believes in the technology which is of direct use in making human life better. As for the peace process, all of know it to be about as effective as the enviroment summits - no matter how many times you start it with all good intentions, it's going to fall flat anyway. And a nation where buses are burnt to mourn the death of a film star does not really command "dignity" in the world view. As I said the focus should be India, not the neighbours or the heavens or whatever is a waste of resources. Peace out.
I'm sorry but I don't agree with you. You said that India, despite its many fallacies works. I agree, but why does India work? ...because there aren't too many people in charge that have the black and white world view that you espouse. I think if enough people develop the view of Pakistan that you have and start bombing civilian towns indiscriminately, a few centuries down the line, we'll both be failed states, and no one will even remember who started the war. It was only a couple of days back that I'd read an article about a survey that ranked India as the second most religiously intolerant country in the world. Yes, SECOND, and ahead of all those Islamic states. That cannot be something to be proud of. I agree with Sunanda, do you really think the average vegetable vendor in Pakistan is physically different from his counterpart in India? Are his genes wired differently? He probably worries about the same things the Indian vendor would - how to sell vegetables and make enough money to feed his family. What do you think drives terrorism in Pakistan? One reason could be some random Mullah saying something like what you are - "F*** India!" Call me a hopeless optimist but if you think the peace process (or the environmental movement) is inherently doomed to fail, I'm sorry, but so is the human race.
I understand your pain regarding the whole issue of Pakistan based terrorism. All I'm saying is we shouldn't simply close all diplomatic channels, and we shouldn't make the same mistake they are and resort to stereotyping. If it doesn't work out, then we should go ahead and arrange something covert to target specific terrorist cells. (more to say here, but there's been a power cut and the computer will switch off in about two seconds...)
@Sunanda There's a very well established link between general technological innovation and the space programme. Although I do believe that scientific knowledge is humanity's greatest pursuit and should justify space exploration, from a more pragmatic point of view, the space programmes are very useful. On the other hand, war is also known to drive technological innovation; and the amount of money spent on defence FAR outstrips anything spent on the space programme. Which one would you prefer to drive innovation?
@ Lone : Agreed. And I prefer NEITHER. :)
@Lone: First of all, I think the basic point of what i was trying to say is being missed here. I am not saying nuke Pakistan, or attack it, or any such thing. The only thing that I am saying is Ignore them. Treat them as any other hostile nation. Let the thought that we were the same nation once not hinder you when do so.
Perhaps the multi-varied meaning of the all-purpose handy word 'fuck' is the root of all of this confusion. What I meant by my post is that Pakistan is not worth our time. There are more pressing concerns in this country than peace with Pakistan. Terrorism has long left the control of Pakistan, the very hope that a healthy friendly relation built with the people of Pakistan will stop it from affecting India is a complete fool's premise.
I do not care if the if the peace process if doomed to fail. What I mean to say is that at the current scenario- political, sociological and economic, its successful culmination will not exactly bring any huge welfare to the Indian people.
So, what was the point which I was trying to make? The point was that we are looking at the wrong borders. Pakistan of today is nothing but a explosive rag puppet in the hands of China. And while the peace-lovers and cheap publicity mongers ( yea I believe there is notyhing more to this particular endeavor) are busy trying to broker peace with a unwilliang neighbor, China launches a more vicious media campaign against India, the like of which can not even be matched by the venom of the so-called Mullahs of Pakistan.
Yes, perhaps India does work the way it is because it is not run by black and white people like me. But then again, may be it is these same dissenting voices, outspoken and at times out-of-context that are the Churchill like voices of sanity while the Chamberlains look at rosy near-futures of little consequence. There are times when such voices should be heard, even though I will agree with you in the fact, that in nine cases out of ten it is better not to.
Target specific terror cells. My thoughts exactly. But also remember that the land they are on has just a minor role to play in their existence. And any effort to deal with the same country is of no significant consequence.
And yeah, India in my opinion will not be a failed state in many years to come for the simple reason that there are forums where voices - multi-colored or black and white can argue, debate with equal weight being given to all opinions before a conclusion is drawn. And much as you might disagree on this point, I believe India to be inherently a tolerant nation when we put the cheer amount of diversity in account. The numbers say that we are the world's second most intolerant nation, I say that we are the most diverse to begin with.
@Sue: You still don't make sense. Defense budgets are debatable. But lunar research is the way that we have to go. I think its importance should never be downplayed.
Pakistanis have few of the best kebabs in the world...so shut up! In fact we should take them over and have one kebab maker for each one of us!
Oh! Hadn't exactly read the post before the previous comment. Now, I have opinions.
@Arnab : Abstract out a bit more, and you will realise that although the entire peace-blahblah process is futile, it is necessary, just to maintain futility. Probably, this is truly the best way to ignore them. And as for the argument about China, irrespective of what the world says or does, China is definitely aiming at world domination, and probably for once, the sensationalising media isn't wrong. Maybe, that is why we dont have random peace blah blah's with China because we know that doing so is strategically accepting their supremacy...we wouldn't care the same about Pak. Either way, our country seems doomed, unless China just feels that we aren't significant enough to be crushed to quarks.
@Lone : I don't know whether it is mere nostalgia or you logical prowess, but I do agree with your argument. Arnab adressed it suitably.
@Su : There maybe a cultural connect, but since when has that ever affected human relations. I generally do not accept of cause and effect relationships, and I fail to understand this one specifically. As for technological advances, again, no reasoning needs to be given. Lack of technology was never the reason for human issues, nor will its presence will ever be its solution. It merely alleviates it temporarily in space and time. We'd rather advance scientifically and expand human knowledge irrespective of any other driving reason.
This is how it should be : http://imgur.com/4qRxY.gif
Pakistan is not Pakistan's government. It is not the decisions they make. It is the unreachable populace of Pakistan that makes up the nation. And sitting in your hostel room in Pilani, I very much doubt that you have any idea what they, as a whole, want from us. Which puts you in no position at all to say "Fuck Pakistan" (in any way - either by annihilation, or by ignoring them)!
Pakistan is probably every bit as defeated and clawed-from-within as you say it is. Which means that its people need help of better-developed nations more than ever. Not trying to be preachy. But seriously, even turning our back on them (and after reading your post I very very much doubt you meant just that when you said Fuck Pakistan) is the most fucking cowardly things anyone could do.
Lastly, sometimes its important to take a stance. But please don't take up a stance just because of the personal kick it gives you.
@Shmo: Turning your back to hostile nations is a policy that every sane nation with sane diplomatic policies have been practicing since time immemorial.
True, a nation is not made up of just its government. But its policies are determined by its government, and when the govt in question is hostile, its best to be hostile back or ignore them.
Again, agreed when u say that Pakistan is in a very bad state and needs the help of better and developed nations in rebuilding it. But I forget the time since when India falls in the bracket of well-developed nations. We as a country have its own share of problems and are at the edge of a crevice as far as our own futures are concerned. I hardly think that at critical junctures like these, the concerns of a failed hostile state should be our primary concern.
The whole point of this 'Love Pakistan' or whatever initiative btw, has nothing to do with the people of the nation or their concerns or their ideals. It is a publicity ploy by 2 of the biggest media houses of both the countries which tries in a very base way to exploit the cultural connect for their own betterment. What the people of the country expect from each other is hardly represented by their media. At least officially, the political wills of two democratic nations is represented by their elected governments not by the privately owned media. The fact that the government of one of these is semi-fascistic makes no difference to the official view at least.
What I am trying to say is that treat Pakistan as any other nation. Give them no preferential treatment. Treat them like they treat us. Fuck them if they fuck with us. Honestly, such a stand should be the most simplistic and practical one to follow in my opinion.
And as for me making a stand just for the heck of it. Well, there are times when people, or should I put it like this, citizens need to exercise the very fundamental right of their citizenship. That is called the right to fcking free speech. And what that right means to me is the right to protest against anything related to my country or its other citizens which i feel to be wrong or not in accordance to the notions that the country stands for. And such a stance needs to be made every time such a situation arises. And it is because of such stances that have been made, and such voices that have been heard that the country still continues to exist by the ideals laid down by the founding fathers. You might say that in this attempt I might have been flouting some its most basic ideas of peace and non-violence. Well, better do something for the greater good and fight for utopia in the days to come rather than descend to inferno just by being too much of a pussy to dirty your own hands.
Cheers :)
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