There is no such thing
as a great talent without great will-power.
Active Visitors: 224 Total Hits: 19634601 Since June, 2007
Who will tame India?
Zafar Alam Sarwar
Email:zasarwar@yahoo.com
Those who struggled for a new homeland as human beings had some great
ideals in view based on brotherhood, equality and fraternity of man, and
they aspired for these ideals because of dual domination by the foreign
rulers and by a caste-ridden social system. The great majority of people
of Pakistan are Muslims and members of the brotherhood of Islam in which
all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect—and as followers of
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) they believe in tolerance of
other creeds and they welcome in closest association with all those who,
whatever their creed, are themselves willing and are ready to play their
part as true and loyal citizens of Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan’s
foreign policy has always been one of friendliness and goodwill towards
all the nations of the world. The people and policy-makers of Pakistan
have always been keen on fair play in national and international
dealings, and are ever ready to make their utmost contribution to the
promotion of peace and prosperity among the peoples of the world.
The founder of Pakistan had delivered this message to the world through
his addresses, broadcasts and interviews to the people of other
countries. And every Pakistani translates the same message when he
visits any part of India and interacts with common people there with
love reflected by an old couplet of philosopher-poet Iqbal: Hindu,
Muslim, Sikh aur Eesai aapas mein hein bhai bhai. Many freedom fighters
like Pandat Jawahar Lal Nehru used to extol the revolutionary poetry of
Allama Iqbal and Ustad Daman but they did not back up their words of
appreciation with action. What has been happening to the Kashmiri men
and women and their children in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who have
been struggling for their right to self-determination since the
partition of the sub-continent, and how an innocent Pakistani citizen
was tortured to death the other day by the Indian police are some of the
facts of ferocity which, for sure, an honest American lexicographer will
term terror.
Khalid Mahmood, who taught English at a school in a Lahore border town
Dera Abdul Hakim, had gone to India in November 2005 to watch the
Pak-India cricket match in Mohali after obtaining a visa from the Indian
embassy. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old teacher lost his passport and
was arrested by an Indian intelligence agency when he was on his way to
the Pakistan High Commission to report the loss of his document. The
teacher’s family learnt about his arrest in 2006 on receipt of a letter
sent by him. According to a report, the victim’s mother, sister and a
brother went to India, and filed an appeal in a court of law for his
release but they had to return home disappointed within a week. They
were harassed and terrorized by the Indian intelligence agencies. The
hapless Pakistani rotting in jail was subjected to constant physical and
mental torture for exaction of information of choice by the special
staff concerned, which the Delhi government could use against Pakistan
as and when needed for an anti-neighbour propaganda. But Khalid Mahmood
was just a teacher who was also known as a good cricket player. He had
gone to India as an ambassador of love with a spirit of brotherhood to
promote friendship through sportsmanship.
The school teacher went to India alive but returned dead: India has been
exposed once again. That reminds one how four Pakistanis were kidnapped
and locked up in a first-floor ward of Amritsar Jail. They were
traveling by train to the neighbouring country on proper documents. The
Indian government, when contacted officially, told the Pakistani
department concerned that “nothing of the sort has happened”, and “there
are no Pakistanis of such and such name in our possession”. But soon the
four Pakistanis were able to cross Wagah and return home safe and sound.
The great escape laid bare India’s lie in first quarter of 1957. A
student of Lahore, who was on visit to East Punjab to see his former
primary school fellows Mohan, Roshan and Joseph, was taken into custody
and imprisoned in the same jail. The college boy was forced to stand for
hours on toes and was cane-charged in violation of the UN Charter and
human rights. An enlightened judge exonerated him because the special
police inspector failed to prove the allegation leveled against the
student. Khalid Mahmood too was charged with spying without any
substantial proof, or material evidence. He was reportedly kept in
Gurgaon Jail of Haryana state where he was tortured to death on February
12. The victim’s body was handed over to Pakistan at Wagah on March 10.
The tale of Indian intelligence agencies is rampant. Ramdas, as reward
for the unsuccessful attempt to incarcerate an innocent college boy, was
promoted to the rank of inspector but a year later he was nabbed near a
picture house in Gowalmandi area of Lahore while he was spying in
Lahore. The Indian spies have been active on the Kashmir front in the
past as they are performing their “art” variably today in Swat,
Waziristan and Balochistan. But they have cut a sorry figure despite
some sort of covert facilitation through their diplomatic network in
Afghanistan, particularly Kandahar. The American CIA officials seem
aware of this fact. The Indian intelligence agencies, especially RAW,
were fond of choosing Azad Kashmir places like Bandi Abbaspur, Khui
Ratta, Hajeera and Chakar etc. for spying against Pakistan. But bad luck
always blocked their way. Pakistani soldiers were alert all the time,
the moment any Indian spy crossed into AJK territory he was caught. One
was lucky to have witnessed capture of a number of Indian spies on
various occasions in hot summer and chilly winter in the remote and near
past. In early 1990s two spies were caught red-handed near Rawal Dam of
Islamabad.
How cruel our neighbour is! Pakistan frees the Indian spy Kashmir Singh
alive, hale and hearty with all the honour and dignity upon him—and
India returns dead body of a Pakistani innocent teacher-cum-cricketer
who goes to Mohali with love to watch a cricket match. O, Liberty what
crimes are committed in thy name in India! When shall Democracy in the
United States of America cry for justice and peace in India? Pakistanis,
whether they are civilians or defenders of the land in uniform, have
great respect for Gandhi and Jinnah who believed in peace within and
without, and in the principle of “live and let live.”
