Adil Najam
Today is August 15. India’s Independence Day.
As we have done every year (here and here), we send all Indians sincere and heartfelt Independence Day Greetings and the very best wishes. We pray for a peaceful and prosperous future for both countries. May our futures be defined by friendship, mutual respect, and prosperity.
In 2006 we had expressed similar sentiments by presenting some pictures from the past. In 2007 we shared images that expressed these sentiments in the present. Today, our thoughts are focussed on the future. Rightly so, because the future of India-Pakistan relations looks more uncertain on this day today than it did on this day in 2006 or 2007.
There are grave reservations on both sides of the border about which way things are going, and why. All the more reason then to pray for peace, justice, goodwill, and friendship. All these sentiments become much more meaningful, and much more difficult to believe in, when things are bad than when they are not. None of them can ever become reality unless there is real commitment to them from all sides. And that is why it is all the more important today to reaffirm that commitment.
The picture we have used in this post today may not, at first, seem as poignant as the ones we have used before (here and here). But it is deeply meaningful. This AP news photo shows Pakistani Brigadier Qaiser Khan Tareen (L) presenting sweets to Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Deputy Inspector General Mohammad Aquil (C) and Commander H.S. Dhillon (R) during a ceremony at the Pakistan-India border at Wagah on August 14, 2008. At its face this is just a ritual, a tradition, and no more. Maybe it is. But it is important than even in these tough times the ritual is not forsaken. Not yet.
The smiles on their faces may not be as large or as sincere as one might have wanted, but these men in uniforms seem to be saying that today is not the day to point fingers, it is a day to wish for a better tomorrow. All we want to say is exactly the same.
Tomorrow matters. And actions on both sides of the border today will determine what our tomorrows will look like. Our shared goal must be to create a tomorrow that is peaceful. A tomorrow that is just. A tomorrow that is friendly. A tomorrow that is prosperous. For both of us.
My hope is that the Fourth of July becomes a celebration less of the might of nations, and more of the possibility for freedom and friendship for which men and women who sacrifice their energy and sometimes their lives.
@ Akshaye,
Two wrongs do not make it right. As others have stated, lets pray for peace and better understanding. Dialogue is a start and I have hope.
I also pray for peace and friendship between India and Pakistan and also all over the world. When will we learn that violence and conflict only breeds more violence and conflict.
It is times like these that test our conviction. Everyone talks of comittment to peace when things are going well, it is those who can stand by that conviction in bad times too who should be admired. Thank you Adil Najam for stressing that it is in these pressing times that our commitment to peace is most important. We can remain commited to peace without compromising on principles of justice, and that is what you have done.
@Salman
“Now how come you folks have problem with the Kashmiri Freedom Fighters?”
The answer is that we have equal problems with Kashmiri, Naxal and LTTE freedom fighters. Same as China has problems with Tibetian Buddhist and Xinjiang Muslim freedom fighters and you guys have your own share of Baloch and NWFP freedom fighters.
My prayers are also for peace and peaceful resolution of differences.
Thank you for these wonderful wishes. They are heartfelt and mean a lot. I am myself very worried about the situation which after being better for some years is getting worse because of the mess that my government is making in Kashmir. I hope this land issue will be resolved satisfactorily soon and things will improve.
I also join my prayers for peace, justice, friendship and mutual respect in all of South Asia. And for all of humanity. Greetings to Indian friends on this day.