Moayyed Jafri
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
LAHORE: Aman ki Asha is playing a key role in making progress through Indo-Pak people-to-people and sector-to-sector interactions, which can genuinely change the climate and the environment in which apparently intractable problems can be resolved.
These views were shared by an Indian parliamentarian and former undersecretary-general of the United Nations Shashi Tharoor as he sat down with The News for an interview. “I’m actually dressed in an ‘Aman ki Asha’ representative outfit as I am wearing my Indian jacket over a ‘shalwar kameez’ by a Pakistani designer,” he said, expressing his conviction for “Aman ki Asha”.
During the course of the interview, Tharoor was of the view that progressive cooperation in sectors of obvious mutual benefits does not translate into undermining graver problems.
Coming fresh from a discussion with former federal minister Dr Atta-ur-Rehman over ideas of possible educational cooperation between India and Pakistan, he said, “I feel that although therehas been some hesitation, on both sides, over political issues, the ones that have taken a long time to resolve, there are areas like education and trade that can benefit both sides, particularly higher education.
He said he had a good discussion with Dr Atta-ur-Rehman particularly on higher education, scientists can talk to each other, graduate students can share lectures from each otherís country, there are so many areas where this cooperation can do wonders for both Pakistan and India.
ìIf Pakistan says we cannot have normal relations with India until Kashmir solution to our satisfaction then you are denying the possibility of cooperation in trade, education, cultural contacts, sports, travel and films, where we could naturally not only have a lot of mutual benefit, but we can also change the environment in which future Kashmir issue could be resolved,î he added.
India and Pakistan cannot overlook the fact that there are genuine differences regarding the handling of the terrorist problem, particularly after 26/11, it was a very serious blow to our country which cannot be underestimated. Similarly, India needs to understand the psyche of Pakistan as a nation as a society as a polity.
He termed the granting of the MFN status as a tremendous step forward. India, he said, has offered the MFN status to Pakistan for 16 successive years and the Pakistani governments have not found it possible to reciprocate, which is a unique example of a country unilaterally offering MFN status for such a stretch. To reciprocate now is the right thing to do, it not only has tangible benefits, but it also sends a very positive signal. He said it is absurd that Pakistani consumers today are actually buying Indian goods exported from India to Dubai, paying three times the price. It can, in all ways, work for India and Pakistan like it does for America and Canada.
Pakistan can be and should be very important to India and its economy, but at the moment is not because of geopolitics. Pakistan is the most obvious land route for India to central Asia and Middle East that can bring both countries to see common grounds in other spheres too.
Dispelling the notions of American pressure contributing towards the delay in the famous Iran-India-Pakistan gas pipeline, he said it went down the tubes only because of political tensions between Pakistan and India as Indians could no longer, after 26/11, take the risk that their energy security would be hostage to being bombed in Pakistan.
Sharing his perspective over Indo-Pak stance over the Afghan issue, he was of the view if India and Pakistan could make common cause in Afghanistan it could turn out to be a fruit basket for region, plus we forget that itís the best way to open up all the central Asian republics.
Answering a question regarding Pakistanís reservations regarding exaggerated Indian interest and activity in Afghanistan, he maintained that anything that India is doing in Afghanistan comes at the expense of anything to do with Pakistan. India has spent around $1.5 billion of its exchequer and it is going to be $2 billion soon. And it is all in girlsí schools, maternal child care hospitals, renovation of health clinics, construction of electricity supply line from Kabul to Pulicharkhi 3000 meters high. These are not the things that should threaten Pakistan in anyway, these are all good for the Afghan people, and Pakistan should not see this as a zero-sum process. ìWe both have a share in peaceful and stable Afghanistan; India cannot get away from the fact that Pakistan is physically a closer neighbour to Afghanistan. Similarly, Pakistan should not have an overruling approach that if Pakistan doesnít want India to help Afghanistan, India shouldnít.î
Reflecting on United Nationsí image internationally, the former under secretary general of the United Nations said it is an indispensable organisation, but its record is uneven and for understandable reasons. UN is a body made up of member states and when membersí states agree and give it the mandate and funds to do something, it can make a real difference. When member states do not agree then it seems that UN is ineffective. It is the mirror of the world; it depicts the agreements and disagreements among countries.
Either of any two countries seeking solution from the UN wants it to see it correct from their perspective and when that does not happen UN takes a lot of criticism. In such scenarios, the world needs such a body which could solve problems from a third party perspective. Sometimes problems cannot be solved overnight and problems need to be managed.
He expressed his resolve for a liberalised visa regime. ìThe constraining visa policy is rather foolish because the terrorists of 26/11 didnít take visas to come and attack, so visas are not the problem between India and Pakistan.î
Commenting on the Pak-American relationship, he was of the view that both Pakistan and the US have had very close relationship and now greater degree of differences between them. Both are conscious of the long history between them and of what has between them now.
Pakistan is a signatory of the SEATO and CENTO whereas India never signed any alliance with the US. India has approached its foreign policy decisions from a very bedrock principle of total autonomy. It therefore has not ever chosen to enter into a formal alliance with anybody so that gives India the freedom to agree and cooperate with anyone they choose to, he said.
India is not interested in playing anybodyís game in regard to a third country, be it China, Pakistan. Bangladeshi authorities have arrested and handed over offenders that India had demanded, that is one gesture India would love to see from Pakistan, he asserted.
He termed all that has happened in Egypt, Syria and Libya is a reflection of how the world is changed in the 21st century. Very important factor is the satellite television, Telephones and social media, so much so that when I asked many of my friends here in Pakistan about the prospect of a military intervention, one common answer that Iíve got from almost all of them is, ënot in todayís media environmentí. This is a reflection of the way the politics of the second decade of the 21st century is going to be, he further added. He termed media as an extraordinarily important force for determining political choices.
He said the American troopsí Iraq withdrawal was more of an election pledge fulfilled, he was of the view that premature withdrawal from Afghanistan can be a problem and can be seen as a step taken as a result of the global economic recession.
Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Shashi Tharoor too expressed her support for the ëAman ki Ashaí project, saying that we are cut out from the same fabric and have so much in common, silly notions about each other need to be removed and Aman ki Asha is the best way forward in doing that.
Source: The News