The Yearning for Peace

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Interesting perspective from a peacenik. Can`t wait for Jay to enter this particular china shop. The sentiments you heard expressed by a handful of people, i have heard from a hyderabadi pakistani who believed that the two countries should simply merge and that would get rid of all the acrimony!

#2

kashmir is in our blood and soul.

It`s a shame you can`t live in peace until you lose your blood and soul too. Hope you will change your mind.

Shamsul:

``I hope the Indian government will see the light and give us back this land. ``

Give us back??? When did you have it in the first place?

``This is the feeling of all in Pakistan because kashmir is in our blood and soul. ``

Simply amazing how you have survived 50 years without your blood and soul complete. I am sure if you can manage 50, you can manage 50,000 years as well.

Anyways, if peace was upto Sabziwalas and time pass people like us, we still would not have achieved it.

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We can forget about India and Pakistan merging, anytime in the near future or any time at all. Even though the BJP types talk about an `Akhand Bharat`, it is more in nostalgic terms or to use as a threat. Why would any sane Hindu in India, particularly a sangh parivar type, want more Muslims in India, by an union with Pakistan? It would only dilute the political and economic power that the Hindus have in India, due to a 82% majority. This power has come only through democracy of numbers, after centuries of slavery under the colonial and Islamic invaders.
I dont think any sane Pakistani Muslim would want Pakistan to merge with India, either. Even though there might be economic benefits (doubtful), why would you want to submerge in an ocean of 800 million Hindus, when you have your own Islamic haven with near zero minorities?
In fact, the only significant group that might want an Indo-Pak merger would be Indian Muslims, as the increase in Muslim population would increase their political power and standing within the country.

...do we need arab half-breeds to sort our affairs...buzz off...

I am distrustful of Pakistan, but I feel these mombattiwalas from Pakistan serve a purpose, as they highlight the value of peace to the Pakistani common man.
But they should concentrate on working on their government, and make it realise that attaining Kashmir is only possible in their dreams, or on a tourist visa.

one must be careful to not read too much into this present ``peace`` overtures by both parties. how come two parties that were at each other throats months back are suddenly friends. this is all media hyped crap that will settle down once masters of public opinion want it to.

agenda based and big brother owned media is selling us this ``peace`` story for whatever reasons. dont buy much into it. BJP wants it to sell its fake ``feel good`` factor to dumb indians and musharraf cant say no to his masters.

No matter how much we try to be objective, the Chowkies are also politicised by default. And Chowk represents a very small percentage of the views of both countries.

The main stream majorities do have a genuine urge for peace. And it was for the simple reasons of forces of history and cultural affinity. These forces can not be artificially subdued for long espeicially with the spread of education and better economic conditions.

And the leaders on both sides have been behind times. While the Indian leaders did have some arrogance and did not wish to be seen as compromising to a small country; the Pakistani leaders were mostly trying to prove their own distinct different identity; and use the anti-India stance so as to deny the natural forces of co-habitation.

Gradually, the influence exerted by the ordinary people on both sides is becoming stronger - and the leaders will have to accept the logical peace option - in a spirit of give & take.

Khammy:

Who is Arab half breed? I read all the posts and the article, don`t see the mention of any Arab??

stuka...
check out #2...

Bina shas of the pakistan can talk and may be even take isolated words of thousands of pakistanis and indians and make a facade of peace. Peace is the outcome of converging social values and aspirations of the people.
In the last 50 years pakistan has steadfastly tried to differentiate itself from india. The curriculum in schools, the selection of gaznavis as heros, the madrassas, the bomb and trade restrictions are all intended for this purpose. There is no move what so ever to change any of this fundamental premises. The improved visa and contacts are only one way, it is the pakistanis who wants to come to visit their relatives in india and is simply an opportunity for ISI to push sleepers into india. No indians, other than a few of the likes of dost mitter and stuka who from the hindi belt share arragant values of pakistan care to go there.
No educated pakistani wants to take on the jinnaism of the madrassa and say that jihad is not killing of kafirs. Even the tahmed could say is that he is against the killing of another human. Does not dare to question the foundation of madrassas by telling that jihad is not.... Tahmed even on the anonymity of chowk does not dare to go against the madrassa, but hides behind generalisations, not to offend the mullah, or may be finds it against his own beliefs about islam. There can be no peace till the basic values of pakillstan is changed, only when killing is removed from the values of pak society, from killing of animals in the family homes, to honour killings, to jihadic killings, and finally the greatest killer of all, gaznavi and ghoris replaced as pak heros.
Killing and peace can never go together what ever Bina sha may write.

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Hi Beena, as reportage of an event, thank you. So this is apparently what we, mainly the English speaking and Anglo influenced middle class think, in both countries.

Now, I wonder when we are going to see some reports on:-

1) what the Hindi/Urdu speaking and reading, non-Anglo influenced people think.

2) what those who are already into benefitting from Indo-Pak strife have to say, too.

That would be the litmus test, right?

Or we can all pretend that they don`t exist.