Earthquake is an opportunity

The recent report says 18000 estimated dead in Pakistan and POK (Pak occupied Kashmir), and around 1000 in India. Our hearts go out to them.

There could be no better opportunity for the next level of thrust to the sagging CBMs (confidence building measures) and to build goodwill with our naughty neighbor.

Indians and Pakistanis are not just tired, but sick of militancy and political games played to get one up over each other. My friend just remarked, ‘Quite a number of the dead will be militants’. Perhaps, but the majority is innocent civilians, women and children who have nothing to do with the complexities of Indo-Pak hassles and who just want better jobs, education and basic amenities.

So there is some thaw in the relations in the last few years, but the pace of the peace process is frighteningly slow. I am not sure how tier-2 (experts, chief secretaries meet and army commanders’ flag meetings) and tier-3 (Shabana asmis and Asma Jehangirs hugging in full media glare, Bollywood films shown in Lahore) diplomacy will work because, to quote a Einstien cliché ‘The problems cannot be solved at the same level at which we created them’. And Indo-Pak is the baggage of the political leadership of two countries, not people. The will and the initiative should come from higher level, media gimmicks won’t work.

If you still harbor some hatred towards Pakistan, I have a question- whom do you want to be equated with – Pakistan or China? Lets get on.