Who Created Pakistan? Re: # 247 Tahmed, that`s why I say its better left in one`s personal domain.

Who Created Pakistan? Re: # 243 Ajeya, let`s suppose majority of Indian Muslims (i.e. Muslims living in the present territory of India in 1947) opposed partition. Would you still think about them the same way? I am not talking about Islam or Muslims at large. I am asking you this question because I have a personal hypothesis that the present generation and I am included tends to link the two issues. I have seen the biggest Muslim haters melt the moment there is a hint that India Pakistan relations are improving and who knows we might go the Germany way. (I don`t quite fancy the idea though). I call these guys pseudobigots because their hatered is not real. They just feel rejected. Its like a lover scorned. Its the child in all of us.

Coming to the issue of faith. It is not an issue to be put to a test of logic. It caters to the irrational part of human psyche. The area of darkness will continue to shrink as scientific knowlege grows. Yet as long as man continues to have a sense of powerlessness in the face of nature`s might there will always be need to cling to an all pervasive and all powerful entity. Religion, while including the centrality of this entity, got into other peripheral areas of human life. Unfortunately it has done more harm than good. One can not say this religion is better than that because none stands to the test of logic. Therefore it is best left to the personal realm. Now to hold the whole idea of nationhood hostage to something as unpredictable and obscure as religion, is like trusting a baby with a loaded gun. Same holds for people. To judge, classify and treat people on the basis of something as `silly` as religion is itself silly. Kashmiri militants are wrong if they want a separate country because they are muslims and so was Muslim league in 1947. When we give logic to prove that a particular religion or its followers are inferior (or have superiority complex), it amounts to proving these two right. They want you to do just that. This game is so divisive that the end is endless.

Who Created Pakistan? Re: # 240 Ajeya you are doing exceptionally well in that Advani in Karachi article thread. I think we should not target Indian Muslims. They are us.

Who Created Pakistan? Re: # 234 Personally I don`t mind more Shahrukhs, Aamirs, Zeenat Amans, APJ Abdul Kalams, Shabana Azmis .... and fewer Modis, Tagadias and ..... Point is its quality not quantity that matters.

Who Created Pakistan? Let me say how I feel. Dejected. What to do with my pride in Indianness that includes followers of all religions. If you techies are the engines of my country`s growth, we are surely on the road to hell. SHAME on YOU! Do not head towards India. We are better off without your money and your ideas.

Advani in Karachi Sorry I meant ``in the Dawn on this subject``.

Advani in Karachi I think Irfan Hussain`s article in the Dawn on very nicely sums up this issue. I suspect Adwani has done this region a great favour and intentionally too!

http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm

Bunty aur Babli: The latest RSS-BJP tango Re: # 265 Would Japanese have done to us any worse than we did to ourselves in 1947?

Bunty aur Babli: The latest RSS-BJP tango Re: # 246 I assume Japanese occupied China and Chinese were trying to resist with violent force. And that followed with violent repression. The kind of repression you are talking about was resorted to by the British around 1857. There were no violent uprisings of any consequence afterwards. If there was any it was crushed.

The point I want to make is simple. Indian style of resistance was civil and peaceful in character and did not lend itself to violent suppression easily. Of course, I don`t want to take anything away from the British and their sense of fair play. One must add that there was a distinct lack of outcry on Jalianwala massacre in Britain .

To sum up what I mean to say is this: Japanese were more brutal but it was the Chinese resistance that triggered Japanese brutality. In case of India a victorious INA would have been accorded a red carpet welcome. Of course British agents would have been severely dealt with. With eventual defeat of Japan and Germany, of course, an ideal scenario would have emerged: an Independent India with both Japanese and British nowhere near India. I am sure SC Bose had a plan of this nature up his sleave.

Bunty aur Babli: The latest RSS-BJP tango Re: # 243 How good was human rights record of the British? On the flip side I can think of only Jalianwala massacre. I can only say that in my part of the country INA seems to have been mighty popular. People considered Hitler also a hero. This means the British were rather unpopular.

Advani in Karachi Carry on we are watching.

Last Rites in Kashmir or a New Journey? Re: # 313 On referndology you guys are an expert especially democrats of the military variey. General Z conducted one and so did the present General M. We will need General M`s expertise on conducting a referendum. Your legal luminaries are also experts at framing referendum questions. Only shortfall is on the part of general public who seem to know more of Indian Army`s atrocities in Kashmir on Kashmiris than of their own on themselves. Subversion of constitution and democracy obviously mean nothing to you. By the way why don`t your APHC brothers take part in elections. If taking part in rigged elections is sin than surely you guys should stop participating in rigged referenda (or is it referendums)?
By the way who invented this phrase ``doctrine of necessity``?

Last Rites in Kashmir or a New Journey? Re: # 308 Sifjal the only ones who were thrown out of their houses in Kashmir were Kashmiri Pandits. For all I know your freedom fighters are not fighting for them nor are you Pakistanis shedding tears for them.

Advani in Karachi Re: # 553 Nicely said.

Advani in Karachi Re: # 547 Crap.. undiluted!

Advani in Karachi Re: # 544 Hindu and Islam are religions not civilizations for me. The name of civilization I belong to is Indian Civilization, I also call it my nation. Religion should not be a matter of state, it should be in personal domain of an individualand polity should be secular. Partition WAS a mistake but now it is more or less irreversible. Perhaps better relations... based on mutual respect is the future.