‘There is no constituency in Pakistan which wants confrontation with India

6 Comments | Post Comment

Larger | Smaller

Tags : Posted: Sunday , Dec 21, 2008 at 0044 hrs

Mushahid Hussain

Related Articles
Most Read Articles

‘People have never been able to associate themselves with any other leader as they did with Indira Gandhi’‘Who would listen to the minister of Minority Affairs if he wasn’t the minister of Corporate Affairs?’‘I think private airlines grew too fast’‘I don’t think we can have a climate agreement at Copenhagen. We have run out of time’‘In America, India is popular for its soft power and not so much for being a nuclear nation’‘When a post-poll alliance is possible, why go for pre-poll alliances?’

Changed Sreesanth can do wonders: Dhoni China-Pak military nexus a matter of serious concern: Antony India beat Lanka, registers 100th Test win Post ‘Kurbaan’, Kareena talks about experimenting Beyond Britain: Why India should lead the Commonwealth India votes against Iran in IAEA resolution Mumbai pledge: We will fight

Discussion
Blogs

Good one by tharoor! - By Anurag What is wrong with v... - By ARUN LAL No matter which name - By Rodgers Father without any environ... - By Anil Shantaram Gudhekar Self alienation - By Adab Eid mubarak - By faian ali Eid mubarak - By faian ali

Sanskrit Festivals Ex-servicemen discriminated Ex-servicemen discriminated Disc Replacement Content

•Shailaja Bajpai: Relations between India and Pakistan are under severe pressure. Could you give us a view from Pakistan on the crisis?

I came here for a conference. I thought it was important to come here at this time with a certain message when India has just been through a tragedy. We share your suffering. The attack on Mumbai is a crime against humanity. The Marriott blasts took place in Islamabad and after Mumbai, there were blasts in Peshawar and Karachi. So, we’re sailing in the same boat. We have a propensity to go for each other’s throats. We have to move on. I can understand the seriousness and grief caused by the recent events but otherwise, there is a need for sanity in our relationship.

The events in Mumbai have been condemned in every quarter in Pakistan. Please allow me to say emphatically that there is no constituency in Pakistan which wants confrontation with India: armed forces or civil society. There has been a continuation of policy in this regard from politicians to the military. I know it is not fashionable to praise Mr Musharraf these days but he was one military ruler of Pakistan who took initiatives for a better rapport with India. He changed the popular view in India that the Pakistan military does not want better relations with India.

Ads by Google

Let us be clear: the threat to Pakistan is within, not external. Since 1990, we have observed an interesting development in Pakistani electoral politics: that India has ceased to become a rallying point in our elections. We would like to cooperate in resolving the current crisis. Let’s have a joint investigative mechanism. Pakistan has offered to send a high-level delegation. Why doesn’t India accept that?

... contd.

Single Page Format

Next1 2 3 4

Comments

Post comment

View all Comments (6) |

column of mushiaid hussainBy: suresh | 22-Dec-2008 Reply | Forward its true that every pakistani is not a terrorist but fact remain simple that un less people like mr hussain and majority of democratically elected leaders confirm with SOUND VISIBLE ACTION ,the mistrust will remain. mr hussain forget that even during kargiil (where his party was in power) there was sense of denial earlier and eventually after losses of soldiers, they accepted dead bodies accepting their nationality.pak leaders must must understand that say 10 mil pak hardliners cannot decide destinity of relationship of 110 crore peaceloving indians/pakistanis.unless pakistan take visible ation against people masterminding against india,the attacks will not stop .no indian believe that sheltering under anyone incl china or usa will solve bilateral problems .unless pakistan realise that bilateral problems need to be solved in mutual fairness,nothing wl get solved.bec of zia ulhaq/hamidgul policy,pak has been playing with fire and results are there to see in pak. its wakeup or perish

What kind of twisted mind will equate Marriot Bombing with Mumbai attacks? By: Deepa C | 21-Dec-2008 Reply | Forward Only a mental patient or congenital liar like Shekar Gupta's friend Mushahid will say they are the same. It is like saying that Naxal violence in an Indian village is the same as RAW sending a team to Pakistan to carry out terror. Why do you publish this crap? Why are you even talking to this specimen? Please keep your friendship with this man to yourself, and dont inflict it on us. Please note he STILL will not acknowledge Kasab and other Mumbai attackers nationality. Stop this Mr. Gupta, Stop it, you are helping to add insult to our injury.

Authentic Leadership Committed to the National Interest, Without Clinging to False Paradigms!By: Govindan Nair | 21-Dec-2008 Reply | Forward Sensible! Great work, Indian Express. We need leadership at the helm. Unfortunately, we are not likely to aspire for that in the current divide and rule scenario, when the 'use before' expiry dated politicians like Antulay are taken out of the mothballs to serve gameplans that expired with Indira Gandhi. A true leader would have courtmartialled Antulay for his mischief! But these are dithering leaders who hope a new crisis will help tide over the old one without making any hard stratgic decisions! We have reached the nadir. Definitely because of our misinterpretation of Secularism as a tool of appeasement rather than authentic nation building. To be able to do that, we need a genuine all-India mass-based leader and not regional satraps like Badal and Basu, or World Bank-IMF bureaucrats! None of those at the helm of any party fit the bill in these times.They will not permit folk like Chidamram to take any initiative-the minute their position is threatened, out will pop an Antulay fool!

Pakistan's HypocrisyBy: ReignForrest | 21-Dec-2008 Reply | Forward Dear Pakistan's Political Apparatus:Indians' issue is simple. Indians are "pointing fingers" and "playing the blame game" because there ARE targets in Pakistan to piont fingers at and there IS blame in Pakistan. In the past, Pakistan was successful in diverting these fingers and this blame by making the world think of Pakistan in the context of an India-Pakistan pair fighting over Kashmir. But almost the whole world now recognizes Pakistan's culpability at multiple levels -- INCLUDING STATEFUL (vs. "stateless") actors. Your denying the complicity of Pakistan's official agencies -- and in fact your denying that the Mumbai terrorists were Pakistanis may fly within Pakistan. But no one outside of Pakistan is buying it anymore. EVEN IF you had no definite proof the Mumbai terrorists were Pakistanis, would you not want to seriously investigate that possibility if you were serious about (1) terrorism and (2) "full cooperation" with India? You're not. That's why you're hypocrites.

NO NEED OF CONFRONTATION By: ELDRICK | 21-Dec-2008 Reply | Forward Certainly, I believe that none of us want any kind of confrontation in any manner. let us leave alone mordant criticism on Pakistan. Both of these countries are still developing and the poor common people needs other basic needs of life.Why cannot the leaders sit and give a pragmatic solution to the problem. There are sagacious leaders on both sides. We all know that the Mumbai attack was premeditated by the terrorists. It is the leaders prerogatives to cool down the common people.War will lead us to more implacable hatred and will destroy the economy on both sides. Although, we are suffering in recessionary times around the globe. The Intelligence agencies always play bad role in every thing. They are inhuman and ruthless group of jerks.People on each side want love and harmony to prevail than hatred.This is seed planted by colonists and now generating bad fruit not for them but for all of us. Above all let not politicize the game of cricket. Let poor folk get the charm of it.

You don't really know beans, do you?By: ReignForrest | 11-Jan-2009 Reply | Forward Eldrick:The "Hush, chile" kind of response to Indo-Pak issues is way passe'. Nothing wrong with peace-lovingness, but do educate yourself about issues before typing inane platitudes. Your response is tantamount to Rodney King's "Why can't we jis get along?" Cute and romantic, but oh, so silly.

Close
Please Login

User ID	*
Password	*

	Forgot Password? click here