A
rare moment of camaraderie: Indian Border Force General
Himmat
Singh (in turban) offers fruits and sweets to
Pakistan Rangers during
Independence Day ceremonies at the
India-Pakistan joint check point
at the Wagah border near Amritsar, August 15.
Pakistan celebrates
the holiday a day before, on August 14 - although the independence
granted
by the British to both nations began midnight, Aug.15, 1947.
The Nation, Pakistan
Pakistan Must
Reject India Flood Aid, Meant Only to Impress U.S.
Pakistan,
confronted with the worst flooding in its history, is deciding whether to
accept $5 million in aid from arch-rival, India. This editorial
from Pakistan's The Nation asserts that Pakistan should reject the
money, since the offer is a 'ploy' to make India look more regionally dominant than
Pakistan in the eyes of Washington.
One of Pakistan's estimated 2 million internally displaced in Punjab Province, Aug. 15. Right now, it's estimated that one fifth of this densely-populated country is under water - and it's expected to get worse in the coming days.
After monsoon flooding in Pakistan,
India's offer of $5 million in aid is more a ploy than anything else, so Islamabad
should reject it out of hand. Coming from the foreign minister of a Congress-led government,
the offer again raises the specter of Indian hegemony over the region. By
showing that India can handle the region's problems, the offer also panders to
international sentiment. Proposed during a phone call by India Foreign Minister
S.M. Krishna to his Pakistan counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the offer of
aid was really meant to show that Pakistan's creation was a mistake, since Krishna
simultaneously offered his congratulations for Pakistan Day. Our foreign minister's
hesitant reply shows how desperate the government is to obtain U.S. approval by
seeking Indian approval.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The government of Pakistan is
trying to fit in with America's regional plans, which see India as regional
policeman and America's bulwark against China. That is why Pakistan wants to
resume the dialogue with India, even if it is devoid of content. And although the
U.S. may want to see them resume, India keeps trying to avoid them.
In any case, talks with India
serve no useful purpose unless Kashmir is tackled, which is the core issue
between the nuclear-armed neighbors. No results will accrue from talks until
India changes its attitude from stubborn obduracy to one willing to facilitate
a just solution to the region’s problems, which where created chiefly because
of India’s boorish behavior and hedgemonistic methods.
Led by the United States, which
wants Pakistan to accept Indian hegemony, this suits the international
community. This is why Washington leads the international community in ignoring
the freedom struggle in occupied Kashmir. Accepting Indian money would show
that Pakistan isn't concerned about Kashmir, and is focused entirely on its own
problems.
The U.S. should realize that India,
being a poor country despite its pretensions, is simply too impoverished to act
as regional bulwark without funding beyond America's capacity to provide. India’s
offer of a paltry sum seeks to drive home its insulting attitude toward
Pakistan, and irrespective of the amount, the U.S. must realize that Pakistan will
not abandon Kashmir for money.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
India's purposes will only be
met if Pakistan accepts its aid - so if Pakistan intends to follow its own
policies in the region, it must reject it.
