Modi's long detour to peace
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 29, 2015
Groups like Shiv Sena openly spew venom against Pakistan but Modi seldom spoke against them. Rather, it is believed that these groups are allies of Modi and draw inspiration from the same sources of Hindu religion. Several senior leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party believe in supremacy of Hindu religion and the extremists among them want to convert everyone to Hinduism.
With these credentials, Modi's Lahore trip was surprising. The more stunning part was his desire of peace and normalization of relations with Pakistan.
Pakistan and India share a bitter past. Been together for centuries, Muslims demand a separate homeland and were given one in 1947 when colonial British rulers divided the country into India and Pakistan. The division led to migration of hundreds and thousands of people causing upheaval of unprecedented scale. The communal violence in the wake of division killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. It set the tone of bitter ties between the nations.
The enmity was later on institutionalized with the huge armies and armament. The nuclear weapons brought the new lethality to the hostility. But despite rivalry, it is also a fact that Pakistan and India need peace more than any other countries.
Modi took quite long to realize this but it never late. Luckily, he has a reliable partner in Pakistan in person of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who, inspired by China, is trying to create peace in the immediate neighborhood. Sharif and Modi have support of the UN, U.S., EU, China and Russia for their efforts. Modi before landing to Pakistan also visited Moscow and Kabul. The Afghan link is a vital cog in the long detour to peace by Modi.
One is tempted to believe that Modi has come a long way since days in Gujarat. Peace between Pakistan and India will pave way for peace in Afghanistan and promote prosperity in the regions of South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and East Asia. China would also be a major beneficiary of this peace, as it would help to stabilize areas on its periphery and also open avenues for regional connectivity though Road and Belt initiative of President Xi Jinping.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
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