When France and Germany put years of enmity behind them after World War Two, they made a leap of faith in agreeing to entwine their economies so that war became impossible. With their economies now soldered by the euro, it can be easy to forget how deep their mutual distrust once ran - from the Napoleonic wars to the fall of Paris to Prussia in 1871, to the trenches of World War One and the Nazi occupation of France in World War Two.
As India and Pakistan begin yet another attempt to make peace, they face a similar challenge. Can they put aside years of distrust to build on a tentative thaw in relations?
Many analysts argue that a sketchy roadmap to peace is already available, based on negotiations between advisers to former president Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which Pakistani action against militants was matched by Indian moves towards a peace deal on Kashmir. But reviving that roadmap - or for that matter finding another way forward - would require both countries to put aside their past and accept that history is not the only guide to the future.
Indian newspaper, the Business Standard, summarised what many Indian commentators say about past attempts at peace-making - that Indian peace offers have never been matched by a sincere effort by Pakistan to curb Islamist militants. ”Pakistan has a history of trying first to get what it wants on the battlefield and, when that fails, to get it at the negotiating table,” it says in an editorial. “Indian leaders meanwhile fall into the traps of magnanimity (make a gesture to a smaller neighbour) or gullibility (concede this or that and it will deliver peace).”
Pakistan has its own version of history, seen from the perspective of a smaller country that believed it was cheated of Kashmir at partition in 1947, and then torn in two with Indian help when Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, won independence in the 1971 war. Both sides accuse the other of breaching the Simla accord which followed that war - the last major peace treaty between the two - Pakistan by sponsoring militants to fight in Kashmir, and India by starting the Siachen conflict in the mountains beyond Kashmir in 1984.
Many other arguments about the past, too numerous to mention, come up every time anybody discusses India and Pakistan until the weight of history becomes an immoveable obstacle to peace.
So how did France and Germany put their history behind them? And are their parallels with India and Pakistan?
Their reconciliation was in part due to a real change in Germany after World War Two, when it renounced a tradition of militarism dating back to its roots in Prussia. But New Delhi has yet to be convinced that Pakistan has really changed in its attitude to Islamist militants it once nurtured, fearing that while it attacks the Pakistani Taliban in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, it will leave alone other groups used against India like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in its Punjab province.
In a column in the Daily Times, Pakistani analyst Hasan-Askari Rizvi has an interesting take on this question, suggesting the next few months could be decisive.
“It seems that these (Punjab-based militant) groups are no longer favoured by Pakistan’s security and intelligence authorities. These have been put on hold because the army is busy in the tribal areas and does not want to open a new front in mainland Pakistan. Further, it does not want to seen as taking action against these groups under Indian pressure,” he writes. “The Punjab security and intelligence apparatus is now targeting activists of these organisations and monitoring the madrassas that have a reputation for militancy and maintain links with the Taliban. This effort is aimed at destroying their networks, isolating them and discouraging recruitment.
“The next two months will show if Pakistan’s civilian and military authorities will exert more pressure on Punjab-based militant groups and ensure that they do not force a foreign policy situation on Pakistan in its interaction with India. If the role of these groups is neutralised, it will be possible to argue that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism policy has made a historical shift.”
Franco-German reconciliation was also encouraged by the United States, which wanted both to work together against a common enemy in the Soviet Union. The United States, keen to see an improvement in relations between India and Pakistan to help stabilise the region as far as Afghanistan, is now quietly trying to persuade them that they both face a common enemy in terrorism.
As for the benefits of greater economic cooperation between India and Pakistan, these are rarely questioned by either country, from increased bilateral trade, to pipelines bringing oil and gas to India from Iran and Central Asia, and to the opening up of transit trade from India via Pakistan into Afghanistan. So the parallels are there - in the possibility of real change (and the jury is still out on that one), in the backing of the United States, and in the potential economic gains.
Where the parallel falls down is perhaps in vision and leadership. While Franco-German reconciliation was inspired by men who had lived through the horrors of World War Two and saw European integration as the best way to stop history from repeating itself, there is no clear vision of where India and Pakistan might end up. And while France and Germany benefitted from leaders who were powerful enough to push change through, only in India does Prime Minister Singh enjoy a relatively strong position having just won a renewed mandate in a general election, while in Pakistan the civilian government shares power with the Pakistan Army on foreign and security policy.
A much-quoted aphorism is that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. But only very rarely do two countries like France and Germany escape their history. Can India and Pakistan do the same?
(Photos: French President Francois Mitterrand and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Verdun (1984), Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (undated); Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (1983).)
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Hei ,
God is one ..We splited in to many.. see people who belives Hindus living good life with huge money and same in christians, Muslims and others are all living better (poverty too dominating in all religions)… Then Who is god?
Finally We the Intelligent Humans are Idiots..fighting and killing the innocent people with the name of GOD…
THEN WHO IS SEPARATING US THINK AND FIND OUT AND ROOT OUT THEM…..
India or china or USA or… people need peace and loving atmosphere don’t spoiled that in the name of Land and GOD.
Without people awareness Nothing will happen.
- Posted by PAULLOVE BRING THE PROSPERITY…
Hei to all,
Let you people know that we in india have a peaceful life with all religions (With More freedom than in pakistan) Do not Dream that we all separated inside india …You know if some one want to do any miscreants against any minority religion it will not succeed further in india becouse here people will not allow that type of nonsense (Some political strength will do peace less situation (Temporary)that is in some area’s ok).
SO My opinion is you pakistan also come forward for peace and make your country better living place. Forgot our past you have gone out from our land y this fight and envoy lets stop and hands together throw out the polititions who want to fight and make things worst..
Y this fight for land ethr our country citizens dont have proper facilities to live.
Goverment should concentrate for people growth not in border growth.
Love All ….
- Posted by Paulpakistani people from the heart are obviosly envious of india and also are envious because they are even in the times os modernisation follow old radical rules and love bloody terrorists.
- Posted by narendra upadhyayThe wolf ate the lamb and said that they have become inseparable. You must be living in some dream land. Your Shiv Sena, VHP and BJP are volunteer organizations like the red cross. Tell the joke to someone else. Muslims have been attacked in Bombay, Gujerat, Ayodhya and Kashmir, not only by your goons, but also by uniformed soldiers.
- Posted by mohammad Anjum
The attacks on Christians, Shias, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, etc. and the rapid decline in minorities as a percentage of the population in Pakistan says just as much if not more about the state of inter-sectarian relations in Pakistan. Say what you will about India, but at least they have far more minorities living there than in Pakistan. Moreover, Pakistan’s claim as the refuge for muslims in South Asia is getting thinner by the day as India’s muslim population continues to grow and looks set to surpass that of Pakistan. One can hardly to claim any serious oppression if their population continues to grow.
Just remember, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
- Posted by KeithMyra,
I have been meaning to comment for weeks on this absolutely excellent article. I just finished reading “India and Pakistan: Friends, Rivals or Enemies?” by Duncan McLeod. It provides a good realist/neo-realist perspective on the historical narrative of South Asia, the relations between Hindus and Muslims, the impact of European involvement on that balance and the eventual split into India and Pakistan. As a person of South Asian descent, it was an eye-opener. It left me with both hope and despair. And it left me wondering, just like you, if these countries can escape their history.
I do not see the Franco-German model as absolutely applicable. France and Germany were like cousins quarreling. India and Pakistan is more analogous to a sibling rivalry where both are experiencing roid rage. And the real danger here is that as both countries try to bolster their nationalism by emphasizing their differences rather than their commonalities, the threat of cataclysmic conflict grows.
The rhetoric and lack of understanding can be both ridiculous and frustrating. Indians for example, often have huge difficulties in understanding the psychological trauma that the separation of Bangladesh imposed on Pakistan. Much of today’s paranoia in Pakistan has come from this episode. Pakistanis on the other hand fail to understand India’s equal concerns about the symbolic value of Kashmir. Indians see their growth in military power as inevitable for any rising economic power. But Pakistanis look at the growing tiger in their neighbour’s yard and worry. The only way they think they can prevent the tiger from turning towards them is to keep it busy in its own backyard.
Meanwhile, Pakistanis will prattle on endlessly about the lack of Muslim rights, the failure of democracy, etc. in India. But quite often they fail to acknowledge the fact that most Indian muslims today have a standard of living well above the average Pakistani, with significantly more freedoms and rights than granted by the various oppressive Pakistani regimes to their own citizens over the years. Pakistanis can’t seem to accept that the majority of Indian muslims, while they may cheer for Pakistan during a cricket match, have no real desire to live under a Pakistani banner. And while Indians would do well, not to play down or minimize some of their failures at protecting minority rights (particularly by their more hard-line compatriots), Pakistanis would do well to learn from the Indian experience. For all its failings, India remains remarkably peaceful and cohesive given its diversity. The same cannot be said for Pakistan, increasingly riven with inter-ethnic and inter-sectarian violence that challenge the very foundations of the state. It has always struck me as unfortunate and a lost opportunity that the Pakistanis have not learned more from the Indians. Consider for example, how the well the division of Punjab in India would be applicable for its Pakistani counterpart as a move to even out the distributation of political, provide better regional and ethnic representation, etc.
Looking forward, can they overcome their history? At this point, after years of looking at Pakistan for a living, I truly believe the ball is in Islamabad’s court. India has moved on. Only the Pakistanis can decide if they want peace or if they prefer the penury that comes from diverting significant resources towards maintaining a state of belligerence with their neighbour. I’d like to hope that someday India and Pakistan would be like the EU and that borders would not matter. And I truly believe that the biggest beneficiaries of such a peace would be the Pakistanis, not as conventionally assumed the economically rising Indians. Consider the horrendous state of Pakistan today and its young population. Continued belligerence means that there will be less and less resources for the development of the country, creating the real possibility that this generation will be left worse off than their parents. Maintaining this hostile relationship has also meant that the Pakistani have had to accept relationships they would not normally prefer (becoming a client state of the US) and giving up self-reliance (client state of the IMF) as they focus meagre resources on maintaining military parity witht their neighbour (too bad they don’t compete on life expectancy, infant mortality, literacy, etc.). I firmly believe that when Pakistanis come to understand and accept the alternate reality and destiny that awaits them if they give up their belligerent relationship with India, that peace will reign supreme on the subcontinent. I am hopeful that a new generation of Pakistani decision makers who are confident and not driven by the post-1972 paranoia is starting to emerge that is capable of grasping this view and moving Pakistan-India relastions into the 21st century. They may not be in the majority yet, but they’ll get there over time. There might be peace in my lifetime yet!
- Posted by Keithmohammad Anjum:
Krishna’s message might sound dramatic but not untrue. your hee….hee…is no answer to his comment. It is not hunky dory in India, but if you care to watch and follow Indian Muslim’s view (their blogs), you will resrve your hee..hee for some other event. First off Pakistan is not a role model of Indian Muslims if you need to hear it bluntly. It is not me it is what the Indian Muslims say. From my personal experince living in a pluralistic society and having friends of all religions, I have no complaints with Muslims or with others and nor do they have. It does not even occur to me what religion my friend has. It is hard to understand that people living in pluralistic society find natural way to co-exist. Now you belong to islamic Republic of pakistan and that society is entirely different. This is not to blame a common Muslim in Pakistan but the fact of the mattter is that minorities in pakistan are lawfully oppressed. It is no doubt that given these scenarios an Indian is in better position to comment on communal harmony in India than a guy like you who is not exposed to the reality of it.
@Shiv Sena, VHP and BJP: Your missed many more! but what is the point? I am not a fan or follower of these org/party but BJP is a political party that has the record of ruling India as competently as any other govt. BJP started the kashmir peace process with Musharaf and the procrss was continued later by Congress. Do you get it or not? Shiv Sena, VHP et al have national agenda that has no bearing across the border. This is in diect contarst to Pakistan agenda (ARMY/ISI) of killing innocents in India in the fake name of morally supporting Kashmir freedom.
@Kashmir peace: Pakistan Army/ISI disturbed the peace in Kashmir through LeT,JeM, HuM. ISI trained LeT fought Kargil war along with regulars. In Kashmir, LeT wears Indian Army uniform and commits crime which many times are attributed to the Indian Army.
–When is pakistan going to apologize for the genocide of Million Pakistani Hindus/Muslims in the them E.Pakistan? when are you Pakistani bloggers going to talk about it.
- Posted by rajeevPakistan needs to take care of what is on the plate than putting more on the plate. Also huffing and puffing does not make you any braver or smarter. Any one can do that and Indians have all the right reasons to do so. Do what you have not been trained to do so far which is to take chill pill and focus inside pakistan.
Mr. Krishna: “I think that, people of any religion are welcome in India and are safe. Nobody holds anyone else in gun point in India. People of different religions live peacefully in close quarters, contribute and thrive. For example, the rice that you buy from a shop in India could have been cultivated by a Hindu farmer, taken by a Christian middle man and finally sold in a Muslim’s Shop.”
Hee, Hee, Hee…
The wolf ate the lamb and said that they have become inseparable. You must be living in some dream land. Your Shiv Sena, VHP and BJP are volunteer organizations like the red cross. Tell the joke to someone else. Muslims have been attacked in Bombay, Gujerat, Ayodhya and Kashmir, not only by your goons, but also by uniformed soldiers. A lie told a thousand times begins to sound like truth. Looks like you guys are repeating this lie over and over again. Go to Kashmir and tell me how “peace” is being maintained. Explain why Kashmiris are protesting daily against your army occupation.
People of different religions are ducking under the table in order to survive. Christian missionaries have been killed and churches burnt by your peace loving citizens. There is enough on the newspapers on that. Go read them.
“This is something India’s neighbors find difficult to understand and simply cannot do themselves. Indians call it Secularism.”
Yeah, we know exactly what you mean by your “secularism.”
So long as minorities live on the fringes with their mouths shut, “peace” definitely prevails. Tell that to those Sikhs who died at the hands of Hindu mobs in 1984.
Self-glorification is a part of propaganda and brain washing methods. While you guys accuse Pakistan of the same, please go have a look in the mirror.
- Posted by mohammad AnjumI don’t think it is the same as the Franco-German relations before WWII. They fought an open war. Two colonial powers in Europe. Win or fail situation. Here in India and Pakistan, its a disputed territory, Kashmir. As far as economy is concerned, Pakistan milks the American cow for money and aid. This is contrary to the Indian model which, is trying to stand up on its own in all fields and has been successful.
As far as swallowing the enmity and moving forward, not going to happen as the lives of so many people on both sides have been scarred.
(Read other user’s comments). I think that, people of any religion are welcome in India and are safe. Nobody holds anyone else in gun point in India. People of different religions live peacefully in close quarters, contribute and thrive. For example, the rice that you buy from a shop in India could have been cultivated by a Hindu farmer, taken by a Christian middle man and finally sold in a Muslim’s Shop.
This is something India’s neighbors find difficult to understand and simply cannot do themselves. Indians call it Secularism. Finally, this secular nature of India make them look real bad because other nations have not grown up enough to accept people of different faith.
- Posted by KrishnaPakistan’s ‘mock war’ on Taliban
But Mr Afridi, the ANP secretary in charge of FATA affairs, said the military was being dishonest about its operation there.
“These are mere mock operations in order to convince NATO and the US that Pakistan is serious (about fighting) extremists and that Pakistan is not the mother of extremism,” he told The Australian.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/sto ry/0,25197,25821004-2703,00.html
- Posted by PatrickRajeev,
In the past when ever I posted these things, Myra McDonald or whoever at Reuters wouldn’t post them. Some times make me wonder if the idea of this blog is to bring peace or prolong conflict.
I don’t know how many Indians know …students are required to take Islamiat and Pakistan studies at technical and medical colleges!! The SDPI report outlines what is taught in Pakistan Studies.
Here is a link to the curriculum of Rawalpindi Medical College :
http://www.rmc.edu.pk/pros_collegesessio n.htm
If some one has any link on Hinduism studies or “India studies” taught at Engineering or Medical colleges in India, please feel free to post them.
- Posted by Raj@The only guarantee that we Pakistanis desire is that our Islamic identity is not threatened. Our nation was founded on the principle of a nation for Muslims in the sub-continent.”
-Mohammed Anjum
–And coumnist Nadeem Pricha is worried of the opposite–too much Islam.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn -content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/colu mnists/nadeem-f-paracha-schools-out-ss-0 1
In Dawn he writes: “Pakistan is a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and a multi-religious society. Non-Muslims are an integral part of it. Many of them have contributed to the country’s image, stature and well-being. However, according to the scholar and educationist, Professor A. H. Nayyar, the culture, the idiom and the manners of Muslim ‘majority-ism’ started gaining currency after 1971 and, in turn, got reflected in the educational process. A certain brand of Muslim sensibilities was imposed on all.”
Any comments on SDPI report by Pakistani scholars Prof. Nayyar et al on history taught in Pakistani schools? You have not realized yet that the Pakistan’s main problem is over-emphasis on the Islamic identity of Pakistan. If there is a threat it due to over-emphasis resulting in religious fundamentalism hijacking the true Islamic identity. That’s the reason Indian Muslims despite communal tensions and all sorts of problems that are part of Indian society do not respect Pakistan. Harsh but true. Ask for reference and I will provide.
- Posted by rajeev@There are still people who believe that Pakistan has no right to exist. To prove that they have balkanized us in 1971 and have taken up Kashmir which rightfully belongs to us. And to prove that they are a secular nation, they are holding Kashmiri Muslims under gun point.”
-Mohammed Anjum
-And perhaps u also somehow think that all Muslims in the rest of the country are also held against their will and India is holding them. Why is that no Pakistani has the b$$$s to talk about 1971 holocaust.
- Posted by rajeev@ History in Pakistan
Report by Pakistani Scholars about history being taught in Pakistan schools: “The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan.”
http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/reporton/S tate%20of%20Curr&TextBooks.pdf
- Posted by rajeevA very interesting and thought provoking article. I hope one day in my lifetime we can have peace
- Posted by ParamFS,
I’m afraid you read too much into the article you posted. I agree it is somehat of a moderate article, admitting some home truths.
The author uses the phrase “occupied Kashmir’, and talks about Indian hegemony.
There is no salvation for them if they still talk along these lines when the “occupied” Balochistan, “occupied” Pashtunistan are all bursting at its seams.
- Posted by Raj