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Monday, November 16, 2015

Soldiers from the subcontinent and the World War

World War 1
It must seem odd that I am writing about the role of a country in war, which started 29 years before its conception and even stranger that it fought on the side of the Imperial power that ruled over it. However, as we approach Remembrance Day it is important to note that the subcontinent has a great story to tell when it comes to World War 1.
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking the Great War, Pakistan didn’t exist, neither did Bangladesh and nor Sri Lanka. All these countries belonged to an entity commonly known as British India. When the dominoes of disaster began to fall in Sarajevo, the ripples would be felt vividly in the foothills of the Himalayas, the banks of the Indus and even the administrative offices of Delhi.
The assassins of the Archduke were Yugoslav nationalists and of course India had belonged to Britain for many decades by this point. The Indian Independence movement was slowly building momentum and the War provided an unforeseen obstacle to its progress. Britain would hardly divert its attention from fighting the Kaiser to assuage the concerns of Indians at this time of crisis, and the Indians were astute to this. Hence a decision was made by the political class of India to aid its ruler in its efforts in the War in the hope that the reward at the end would be the prize of Home Rule.
First World War
The Indian force, on the advent of War, significantly outnumbered the British army. It stood at 1.3 million soldiers, who were swiftly deployed to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In fact, there is a strong argument to say that the resources of British India were very much key to the eventual success of Britain and her allies. Food was sent to the front line from the very Nawabs the British had so successfully manipulated to their own advantage in the preceding decades. My grandmother even tells me tales of her aunts knitting sweaters that eventually found their way to the battlefields of France where so many Indians perished.
First World War
Regarding Pakistan, the achievements of Pakistani provincial military regiments are just one of many successes in their notable history of combat. There are many accounts that praise the contributions of the Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Soldiers who served from these regions displayed an exceptional sense of duty, vigour and resolve when it came to battle according to British contemporaries. To my mind, it is hard to fathom the sheer weight of the sacrifice of the soldiers of India. A teenager born in an isolated village of Punjab who had never seen the sea would be sent across oceans to fight in an alien place with an unfamiliar climate and almost inevitable consequences which included no contact with their families. Nevertheless, these Pakistani provinces constituted 80% of India’s army and were generating 70,000 recruits a year by 1916. 74, 000 Indians paid the ultimate price in the War, 13,000 medals were granted to them and many more were deserved.
So did the Indians get the reward for their immense sacrifice? No. The British returned in an unyielding fashion and gave only token confessions. This attitude paved the way for Independence as the relationship between Britain and those whom it ruled soured from being amicably allied to scorn. History would repeat itself in 1939 but this time India’s main political parties were divided. The Muslim League cooperated with Britain’s struggle against Hitler’s tyranny while Congress demanded Independence first. Nevertheless, India’s army was the largest all-volunteer force ever assembled and sure enough it fought valiantly for King and Country once again. In the aftermath, Britain’s option to be stubborn was taken away. Crippling debts finally granted Pakistan and India the sought after prize of freedom.
First World War
Since India stopped fighting the battles of others’, it has found ample reason to fight amongst itself. Pakistan and India have been plagued with a relationship punctuated with hostility and suspicion. The two nations have been to war 4 times and have inflicted wounds upon those with whom they once fought side by side. This sad tale continues as no sign of diplomatic friendship emerges.
So this remembrance day I would ask all those readers to remember fondly those who have died in the name of a just cause, but also ponder over the lives that have been ended for no good reason and perhaps taint their opinions of war with the thought of the individual sacrifice which is at stake. We must remember the heroes of the past in order to shape a world where there is no need for heroes anymore.

The Two-Nation theory and ‘secular’ India

Two-nation theory
Two-nation theory was the main reason for obtaining a separate country for the Muslims of India, to secure their fundamental rights. This theory was not an idea of a single man, it was immerged by the consequences of that time and flourished by different leaders who had the courage to speak up for the rights of their community. This theory was strengthened by the worst behavior of congruous to the Muslim community.
The main point of this theory was that Muslims and Hindus belong to different heritage, their life style, food and beliefs are totally different. They are actually opposite to each other, they even have different languages and scripts, so they cannot live for a lifetime in one country with the same government and constitution. Muslims and Hindus could not live as one community, so the two-nation theory was the force that moulded the mindset of Muslims of sub-continent.
The two-nation ideology still exists as Pakistan is a Muslim state. People who criticize this theory and demand secularism in Pakistan and idolize or appreciate India for being a secular state should look at the minorities in India. A state should treat its citizens equally without any bias but the Muslim and Sikh community of India are suffering with the worst partial behavior of the government. Even Sikh community is demanding an independent state “Khalistan”. Minorities of India are now feeling insecure and alone. The hate speeches of Indian leaders against Muslims and the restrictions on Muslims for their religious rights and duties, is too much to bear. The worst is banning the sacrifice of cow and eating beef as Muslims have a religious festival that relates to the slaughtering of cow.
Two-nation theory
While making fun of the two-nation ideology, they totally forgot these facts.  Minorities living within Pakistan are not insecure and never face biased behavior. These minorities don’t rank as third-grade citizens. They have full support of their fellow Pakistanis and their children are also enjoying benefits, facilities. They are not minorities, they are Pakistanis.

Monday, November 9, 2015

The true nature

BJP-fb
Mr. Fali Nariman, the doyen of the Indian bar, has spoken against the growing intolerance in the country, and so has the Indian President and many others. But without instigating communal hatred and communal riots how can the BJP win elections ?
BJP normally has only the upper caste Hindu votes. But the upper caste Hindus ( Brahmins, Rajputs, banias,etc) are altogether numerically only about 15% of the population in north Indian states ( they are much less in south India ). An election cannot be won by getting only 15% votes. So how can the BJP win elections ?
 For that there only two ways.
1.   Promise ‘vikas’ ( development ), which will create an illusion that millions of jobs will now be created under BJP rule. In the May 2014 Lok Sabha elections this was the magic slogan which ensured victory for the BJP.  The youth in particular, cutting through caste and religious lines, voted en masse for the BJP led by Modi, thinking that now they will all get jobs.( The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1988). After all, all youth, whatever their religion or caste may be, want jobs.
But after the Lok Sabha elections it was realized that this promise was hollow and a sham, and the youth were taken for a ride and left high and dry. There is no vikas, and no jobs. Jobs cannot be created by empty slogans. They can only be created when the economy is rapidly expanding, but the Indian economy is stagnant. So the vikas slogan has now become ineffective, despite all talk of Digital India and all that kind of jazz.
2. So the BJP has now to fall back on the other, traditional, way to win elections :instigate communal hatred and riots, of which they are experts.
Hindus are ordinarily divided on caste lines ( it was recently reported that in Bihar even kitchens of policemen are separate for different castes ). But when the communal poison is spread, they often unite against Muslims. This idea was best developed by Advani, the poor chap who is now licking his wounds and saying ‘ Et tu Brute ‘ to his erstwhile chelas Modi and Jaitley who have unceremoniously kicked him aside.
It was Advani who started rath yatra and the Ram Janmabhumi agitation which resulted in the BJP’s seats in the Lok Sabha going up from 2 in 1984 to 161 in 196 and 183 in 1999, never mind what damage was done to the country by the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
 The attacks on Muslims in Muzaffarnagar, Ballabhgarh, the lynching of Ikhlaque in Dadri, the hate speeches of Adityanath, Sadhvi Prachi, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti ( of ‘ haramzada ‘ fame ) etc, and the deliberate spreading of communalism in rural areas all fit into this pattern.
What is the real nature of the BJP ? It is really dominated by the RSS, as its leadership and cadres are from the RSS. And the RSS is rabidly anti Muslim and anti Christian.
The BJP claims to profess ‘Hindutva’. But in fact it does not really represent Hinduism, and its leaders and rank and file have no knowledge of the great Hindu intellectualism in the past ( see my speech ‘ Sanskrit as a language of Science’ available online and in my blog ). All it has in its ideology is communal hatred, and pseudo claims of our past achievements like the claim that our ancestors  had invented aircraft ( pushpak viman ), atom bombs, guided missiles, etc and had discovered genetic engineering and head transplant technique ( Ganesh ) in ancient India, which are all false.They have little knowledge of the real great achievements of our ancestors like the decimal system, plastic surgery, construction of ports as in Lothal, and the great discoveries by Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Bhaskar etc in mathematics, Sushrut and Charak in medicine, Panini and Patanjali in grammar, etc.
So, Mr. Nariman, do not live in a world of dreams

The Puppet Game– will Nawaz stand up to the Americans?

Nawaz Sharif
In a recent interview of Sartaj Aziz, he made a statement about strategic instability in the region and asked America not to make the region too unstable.
Looking at the latest developments in arms race in which India is ahead and stockpiling everything, the Indians are getting agitated – from their carriers in the oceans to their cruise missiles in the air, India is desperately trying to counter China – the question is, how much have they succeeded?
As far as the oceans are concerned, Indian Navy’s ‘look east’ policy has made a trio club- India, America and Japan.
For which they’re even ready to opt for a velvet divorce with Russia. And there is no heartache on both sides.
Coming to the lands, India is acting as a sidekick of the Americans by bullying smaller nations. If reports are to be believed, U.S and India even co-sponsored the project to bring about a regime change in Sri Lanka by ousting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom they viewed as ‘pro-China’.
Looking at the other side, China has no other ally in the region to stand against India than Pakistan. And we are not only her, but Russia’s only chance in emerging a multi-polar power statue. So China and Russia – not at her fullest, not yet- are trying to take Pakistan out of Uncle Sam’s decades-old embrace. Gone are the days when an incompetent Prime Minister looks desperately at the White House to make political and strategical decisions to safeguard his own regime.
But the question is – looking at the history of Blair house meeting etc – has Nawaz Sharif got enough courage to say no to America and refuse his personal benefits and ignore all of his own self interests?

While everyone is speculating about PM’s fears of establishment and ineptness to cope with pressure from outsiders…India and U.S., I don’t think if the PM can afford a “yes” to curb Pakistan’s long-range missile program and nuclear production.
It would be tantamount to accepting Indian hegemony in the region and accepting Modi as our big brother. Obviously U.S. would play every card they have at their hands, from stability in Afghanistan to fighting against JuD and Haqqani network and through a well-thought propaganda to sensitize the world about Pakistan’s growing nuclear program.
But when will we show our unshakable courage to be known as a sovereign nation? Whatever they play, but we cannot afford another “ok” to prove ourselves as their puppets–now is of course the time for NS to show his leadership qualities and make Pakistan a real nuclear power.