Ostrich Policy

by Arecee

July 9, 2005

Four security personnel were killed yesterday in a clash with insurgents on the Pakistani border. The news appeared in small print below other headlines – of Dawood Ibrahim owing the IT Dept. Rs. 50 crore, and the exhaustive coverage of the London bombings. Yet, for four women that these heroes were to come home to; to parents, children and next of kin, this news is the worst that they will probably hear in their whole lives. The fallout of the deaths of these four martyrs may not even warrant the use of much ink at the presses, it sure does impact the way the families of these fallen brave live from now on. It underlines the futility of the deaths of our heroes (in the three wars with Pakistan) in face of our tendency to grope for peace despite repeated assaults.

While there must always be an effort to bring peace between India and Pakistan, one must not be unrealistic in one’s expectations from this effort. As a part of an effort to keep things in the right perspective, it would be appropriate to examine who India is fighting in the Northwest.

Are we at odds with the Government of Pakistan ? No, I don’t think so. At least not now. In past the Government of Pakistan has indeed sponsored a lot of ill will aimed at India. They created the Jehadi monster that threatens their own existence now.

Are we at odds with the people of Pakistan ? No. Again, most people of Pakistan, like us, are busy doing their day to day “guzar basar”. Most watch Hindi Movies from India, sing Hindi songs and are strongly influenced by the cultural trends in India. They have the syndrome that Farid Zakaria describes – as, they like to consume the bounties of India by day and condemn it by night. All said, the average Pakistani likes things Indian, though he may resent India.

Our biggest problem, however, has been with radical Islam. There is an essential difference between the fanaticism of the largely reactionary RSS ‘karyakarta’ and a Jehadist element. The RSS guy at his worst is an extortionist – but he is essentially non expansionist, while the Jehadist element wants to burn down any and everything that does not conform to his ideology. India’s secular ideals do not conform.

The people of India have to first give up this ostrich policy of being so “Gung–ho” about their secularism. This tendency can be seen manifesting in bombastic secularist speeches at social gatherings. Over the years this hype has become a fashion. Many educated Indians try to out-do each other when it comes to idealistic rants that completely ignore the reality of Jehadism and infiltration on our West and East borders respectively. The ostrich hides his head in sand when a sand storm rages. He likes to live in the illusion that there is no storm. Such ostriches learn to the contrary when their rear ends get blown off in the storm. Are we making the fate of that ostrich our destiny ?

The recent attack on our border is, in all its appearance, the handiwork of the monster that Musharraf created. These Jehadis are now out of his control - carrying out the tasks they were programmed to do and also lusting after Musharraf’s blood. There is a saying in Farsi – “Mozd-e-koon, kharch bawaseer”. The gains of pedaling one’s rear end is spent is the treatment of hemorrhoids. With three attempts on his life, I guess Musharraf has learnt the wisdom of this adage.

India’s enemy today is fanaticism. We must reduce the public display part of religion considerably. As far as practical , religious festivals should be held indoors. Non-religious apparel in Government offices should be encouraged. Loudspeakers should not be used for religious purposes. The government must, while discouraging Hindu extremism not lose sight of Jehadism infecting the Indian Muslim community. We occasionally see the signs of that rot here and there. It should be ruthlessly excised. India’s future prosperity depends upon preparing the society which can produce economic miracles. China did that by dumping religion. We should, at least, dampen it.
 

Return to previous Page