Self-defeating strategies
Ibn-e-Rehmat
According to Times of India, Pranab Mukharjee has proposed to interlink
Dera Baba Nanak sahib, a holy Sikh town of East Punjab, with Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib Kartarpura of Tehsil Shakar Garh, Distraict Narowal, by
building a 2 km bridge over River Ravi. This will reduce time and cost
by having direct access.
This will prima facie provide quick access to the Sikh devotees, to
visit their places of worship in Pakistan. Indian Foreign Minister is of
the opinion that Sikh pilgrims, desirous of visiting the said Gurdwara
have to first reach Lahore via Wagah border, from where they are taken
to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib – a secluded abode, where founder of Sikh
religion Guru Nanak spent his last 18 years in worship.. The newspaper
also quoted Mukharjee saying that the Indian authorities concerned would
be advised to compile its feasibility report of the proposed bridge that
may later be discussed with Pakistani officials to arrive at some
conclusion.
Although the newspaper has not divulged any details, yet the reports
from the unconfirmed sources suggest that same proposal remained under
consideration in the past as well, less out of their sincerity but more
as political gimmick. Indian leaders want to raise the issue at
high-level diplomatic forum re-drawing the boundary, by making mutual
adjustments, shifting its barrier from the existing line of control. For
this purpose a curve in the LOC to include the desired area is being
suggested. Or else, an alternate proposal to open a new Immigration
Check Posts like Wagah is on the cards. In the latter scenario, the
arrangements for the entry of more or less 20,000 pilgrims/yatrees,
every year would be a big administrative exercise. To accommodate the
visitors, Pakistan’s government will have to post rangers and to provide
lodging facilities. If the government of Pakistan agrees to the
proposal, such macro level arrangements could be made to honour the
feelings of the Sikh community with same sanctity and religious fervour.
The proposal in all probability appears genuine but it may open up a new
Pandora’ box. Every sovereign country has its own boundary demarcation,
protected and guaranteed under international legal safeguards, under the
UN supervision. Any unilateral or bilateral alteration may trigger a new
debate or set a new precedence for a chain of developments. Tomorrow,
the focus may shift to other priorities to further accommodate similar
concessions and adjustments, particularly the management of the dams,
river water courses and canal system that may lead to new debates and
heart burnings. Any denial on the issue means providing New Delhi as
casus belli to divert Sikh ire against Pakistan as Indian propaganda
guns would unleash their campaign against Pakistan by grilling the issue
day and night through print and electronic media to whip up Sikh
sentiments by quoting Islamabad’s refusal. There are other criterions to
determine what effects it will have on our strategic locations, as the
area lies close to the Garrison, near the border belt area of Sialkot.
This will involve Ministry of Defence to first thrash the puzzle. Then
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Evacuee Trust Board will have to
examine the issue in their own frame of reference, under the charter of
probably C.K.Pant and Sakindar Mirza Pact what all legal obligations
both countries will have to fulfil. Again Foreign Office will be the
overall and over-arching body to look into various details and
intricacies, through their parleys before final conclusion. There is
fear that these dialogues may take new turns or twists to foment more
troubles and sowing seeds of discard, than resolving this issue
amicably. On the other hand it is gratifying that Mukherjee has paid
attention to the inconvenience and travails of a religious community,
which if seen through sincere moral optics, is drain on our time and
resources. Had the Indian leaders taken care of Kashmiris and such other
issues of lesser importance of the subcontinent, India and Pakistan
would have been one of the prosperous nations of the world today,
besides, saving lives of millions of their martyrs/victims of communal
or war casualties.
The subcontinent would have saved billions of dollars, being spent on
the arms race, maintaining big armies and whipping up war phobia to
inflict as much harm to their rivals, as possible. This is an
acknowledged fact that Pakistan accords high priority to protect and
maintain all the sanctimonious places e.g. Nankana Sahib, Punja Sahib
Hassan Abdal, Sucha Sauda at Farooqabad, and Ranjit Singh mausoleum in
Lahore including others minorities including Sikhs with the same zeal,
like its own mosques or mausoleums. On the other hands, Sikhs know fully
well, how Indian security forces treated their divine places like Golden
Temple and what all the Operation Blue Star legacy is, to decide, what
more the veneration or respect they really expect from Pakistan as token
of their love. Both India and Pakistan should realise the importance of
often quoted statement ‘even the right decision is wrong decision, if it
is made too late’. |
