Make money, not war!
With the peace talks moving ahead, finally something seems right in the Indo-Pak relationship. Whatever the rest of the world might say, the War on Terror has been quite beneficial to India. The US is applying serious pressure on Pakistan to destroy all terrorist infrastrucutre. Terrorists in Kashmir can no longer claim that their struggle is an 'indigenous' one and this can be seen from the ripple effect that the shut down of most terrorist camps is having on terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir. It is being systematically dismantled and this bodes well for not only India, but also Pakistan.
Any war or struggle or whatever one might venture to call it, requires a lot of money. Pakistan had to support the terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir, simply because the K word defined its very existence. No leader could have ever imagined not helping terrorists. This would have led to a great public uproar or a military uproar and would have ended in a coup.
The military by itself, is a very strong instituition ( and some say the only institution) in Pakistan. The elevation of General Pervz Musharraf as president came as a blessing in disguise for India, as did the war on terror. The US holds the general responsible for whatevrer terrosrist activities that occur in Pakistan, so the General and hence, the military simply have to fulfill US wishes. This would not have been possible for any democratically elected leader to do simply because the military, under no direct pressure, would have grumbled.
We are finally seeing some ground level improvement in Jammu & Kashmir. This shows that Pakistan has finally begun walking on the right track. No doubt no one in Pakistan will be able to renounce the Kashmir issue. This can be seen by the rantings of Musharraf after every successful Indo-Pak dialogue and this is understandable - he has to cater to a domestic audience. But dialogue and not terrorism is the way to go.
The time is ripe for Indian entrepreneurs and tycoons to involve Pakistan into a meaningful economic relationship. The greater this involvement, the faster will the situation in the subcontinent improve. Moreover, according to the McDonalds theory we simply have to open shop across the border. Once the Pakistanis actually see the benefits of a trade and economic partnership with India, the talk of war, a nuclear flashpoint etc will cease to exist. Both countries wont be able to afford a war.
It is my sincere hope that this actually does happen. Make money, not war!
Any war or struggle or whatever one might venture to call it, requires a lot of money. Pakistan had to support the terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir, simply because the K word defined its very existence. No leader could have ever imagined not helping terrorists. This would have led to a great public uproar or a military uproar and would have ended in a coup.
The military by itself, is a very strong instituition ( and some say the only institution) in Pakistan. The elevation of General Pervz Musharraf as president came as a blessing in disguise for India, as did the war on terror. The US holds the general responsible for whatevrer terrosrist activities that occur in Pakistan, so the General and hence, the military simply have to fulfill US wishes. This would not have been possible for any democratically elected leader to do simply because the military, under no direct pressure, would have grumbled.
We are finally seeing some ground level improvement in Jammu & Kashmir. This shows that Pakistan has finally begun walking on the right track. No doubt no one in Pakistan will be able to renounce the Kashmir issue. This can be seen by the rantings of Musharraf after every successful Indo-Pak dialogue and this is understandable - he has to cater to a domestic audience. But dialogue and not terrorism is the way to go.
The time is ripe for Indian entrepreneurs and tycoons to involve Pakistan into a meaningful economic relationship. The greater this involvement, the faster will the situation in the subcontinent improve. Moreover, according to the McDonalds theory we simply have to open shop across the border. Once the Pakistanis actually see the benefits of a trade and economic partnership with India, the talk of war, a nuclear flashpoint etc will cease to exist. Both countries wont be able to afford a war.
It is my sincere hope that this actually does happen. Make money, not war!
posted by ritwick at 5:49 AM
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