[Reader-list] Liquid jihad

[Rahul Asthana]

Here is an article which is making a very important point, rather explicitly, which was implicit in my earlier message.
"But we do not want to leave India alone and let it live in peace. Not unless the Kashmir problem is solved to our satisfaction. However, is it not time we understood that all such attempts to ‘force’ India to the negotiating table and do our bidding have failed, and have little chance of succeeding in the future either? For, the reality today is not that solving the Kashmir problem is the prerequisite to peace and normalisation between India and Pakistan. It is the other way round. Once we have accepted that the old territorial basis of the dispute is now so much history, and that the real issue is the welfare of the Kashmiri people, then that will best be achieved slowly after we stop our cold war."
Read the full article here.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010/03/10/story_10-3-2010_pg3_2
The point that this article has not dwelled upon is that even with so much going wrong internally in Pakistan, it is still in Pakistan Army's interest to continue the cold war. At the very least everyone else should recognize that it is only in their interest.





________________________________
From: Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
To: Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>; Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com>
Cc: reader-list <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Thu, March 18, 2010 6:02:18 AM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Liquid jihad


Rahul wrote : "I am hopeful that ..........India and Pakistan can co-exist peacefully if not like good friends;and a solution to Kashmir can be worked out."

I second that hope with these words of Ali Sardar Jafri:

Jiyain Tamaam Haseenaane Khaibar-o-Lahore

Jiyein Tamaam Jawaanan-e-Janaat-e-kashmir

Ho Lub Pe Naghma-e-Mehr-o-Wafa ki Taabaani

Kitaab-e-Dil Pe Fakat Harf-e-Ishq Ho Tehreer. 


Kshmendra


--- On Thu, 3/18/10, Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com> wrote:


>From: Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Liquid jihad
>To: "Rakesh Iyer" <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>, "Kshmendra Kaul" <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
>Cc: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
>Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 12:22 AM
>
>
>Hi Rakesh, 
>A small correction 
>"And the monster which America created to destroy the Soviet Union "
>If you read Ahmed Rashid's book about the Taliban you will find that Taliban was created by Pak establishment;it had nothing to do with Russian invasion in the beginning. America of course used it, and is guilty of continuing to support the military monetarily and politically.
>Other than that, I disagree with Kshamendra regarding the degree,or nature, of support by the Pakistani people, though I agree with him about the magnitude of the problem.It is another matter that even a few can cause siginificant harm to India. The national narrative is managed by the power elite, just like it was done in America for Iraq war. In Pakistan;s case the national narrative is built around both religion and nationalism and that makes it doubly exploitative, but I am hopeful that with the Pakistani Army out of power India and Pakistan can co-exist peacefully if not like good friends;and a solution to Kashmir can be worked out.
>The Pakistani civil society are the bigger stakeholder in this and they have to take the initiative. It is by no means an easy task because Pakistan army is firmly ensconced in the power structures and institutions of the country. To weed it out of power is probably as much, if not more, difficult than Indian army coming to power in India.
>But at least we should be clear on what we want and what our priorities should be.
>
>Thanks
>Rahul
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>
>To: Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
>Cc: reader-list <reader-list at sarai.net>
>Sent: Wed, March 17, 2010 10:03:26 AM
>Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Liquid jihad
>
>Dear all
>
>It would certainly be most unfortunate that a canard of lies would be spread
>(as has been the practice of hawkish elements across nations, be it Narendra
>Modi, George Bush or Osama Bin Laden) in order to generate passions,
>breast-beating and calls for aggression and discarding of reconciliation to
>sort out issues. And such a phenomena certainly calls for action on the
>streets but in a non-violent manner. And the monster which America created
>to destroy the Soviet Union has now turned to destroy its' creator and all
>those who it thinks are the obstacles in the establishment of an Islamic
>caliphate, be it Israel, India or Europe (though it would be wrong to say
>that there are no genuine grievances among those who do become
>'terrorists').
>
>At this time, it requires further action by the civil society in Pakistan to
>actually ensure that such elements don't gain more strength, and are
>comprehensively defeated. The only hope of the entire world lies in this
>society actually combating the dangerous voices of treachery and violence
>(comprising of the dominant section of the Pakistan army, the ISI, leaders
>who side with the army, and the jihadis, who are often described as
>autonomous actors but can't survive without the support of the army and ISI,
>as well as the clergy preaching violence against innocents). They have to be
>attacked systematically on all fronts, be it ideologically or their capacity
>to create havoc and wreck our lives. All this has to be tackled. And whether
>we like it or not, at some point of time, force may be required to defend
>oneself, though it can't be of the form which Bush unleashed on Iraq or
>Afghanistan.
>
>It is certainly time this lesson is given to Pakistan and nations start
>moving in UN towards it with this objective in mind, instead of giving
>massive funds which are not monitored and are only diverted towards the
>purposes of the Army as the end-result.
>
>Rakesh
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