THERE are no two opinions about the fact that peace between India and Pakistan is not only necessary but also need of the hour in the interest of both countries. Both countries are declared nuclear powers and have chilling capacity to inflict severe and horrific damage on each other or possibly destroy human civilisation in this part of the world. Peaceful coexistence and cooperation is also imperative because of extreme poverty and unemployment on both sides and immediate need to cut down defense budget and divert our resources toward economic development and human resources.
Good relations between the two neighbors will result in enormous benefits and opportunities in trade and economic cooperation and practical cooperation in environment protection, water sharing and disease control on both sides of the border. India’s economic progress in recent years has been truly impressive because today it is recognized as the fifth biggest economy of the world. There is a lot that Pakistan could learn and gain from the Indian experience because today Pakistan is faced with some serious economic challenges. The Indian GDP in 2023 stood at $3.7 trillion and Pakistan’s GDP barely at $374 billion so Pakistan’s economic position is significantly much weaker than India as of today. This state of affairs should be a wakeup call for policy makers in charting the future course of our foreign policy regarding India. Viable policy options must be identified for the long term management of relations between the two countries leading to achieving a full potential of a peaceful and tension free era of coexistence between the two nations.
After the election of Narendra Modi in 2014 India has been marked with a dangerous shift to the extreme Hindutva philosophy marked by an anti-Muslim stance of the ruling BJP party and it is unlikely that there will be any change in the policies to promote Hindi nationalism. Pakistan on the other hand is mired in political and economic chaos so it appears that the climate in both countries is not conducive to making fresh efforts in improving relations and ending the policy of confrontation. All economic indicators show that India is way ahead of Pakistan their GDP is growing at a rate of 6.9 per annum and Pakistan’s GDP is only at 2.8 percent per annum so the imbalance in economic power is severely against Pakistan. On the military side also, the strategic situation is turning to Pakistan’s disadvantage with India’s defense budget estimated to be $83.6 billion as against $8.5 billion for Pakistan currently.
As we approach the 78th anniversary of the partition of India it is about time for leaders on both sides to forget their religious, ethnic and sectarian differences and to work whole heartedly for peace and to avoid condemning the next generation of Pakistanis and Indians with another 78 years of conflict hatred and a constant state of no war no peace. There are innumerable reasons for achieving peace between the two countriesand we can enumerate some of them here. Some of the most polluted cities in the world are in India and Pakistan. Lahore is faced with a disastrous environmental crisis in the form of fog every year. This crisis can only be tackled if there is close collaboration between the Govt. of Indian Punjab and the Pakistani Punjab administration. Climate crisis is not restricted to borders and does not recognize race religion or the rich and poor it attacks mercilessly and people suffer.
‘ Both countries are in dire need of reducing expenditure on defense to allocate more for health education and social welfare. Flag waving and shouting religious slogans at the ceremony in Wagah can never reduce poverty or improve the standard of living of the poor toiling masses in both countries. It took the nations of Europe of many centuries of conflict and bloodshed to realize the folly of their policies and to decide that working together is far better than fighting constantly. Today all the nations of Europe are bound in one block of economic and political issues called the European Union with a common currency, one parliament, single visa and complete cooperation in every field of life resulting in peace and prosperity for the entire continent. When will the leaders of India and Pakistan wake up to the necessity of Peace and cooperation? Close collaboration between the two countries will help in facing and combating a global pandemic like the COVID 19 that devastated both countries.
India and Pakistan both are agricultural countries with an agro based economy and they can cooperate in food security and trade in food items such as fruits and vegetables by the land route. Working together on soil erosion, agriculture, trade routes, and food security would have huge dividends for both countries. Normal trade relations between the two will bring unimaginable financial benefits. India Pakistan trade could easily increase from $2billion to over $35 billion if tariff barriers are removed, visa conditions relaxed, and complex procedures removed. The one successful treaty between the two countries was the Indus Water Treaty signed in the 1960s. Millions of people in both countries do not have access to clean drinking water. Further water resource co-operation and regional planning are vital to maximize and share this precious resource. Both countries’ establishments must prioritize the reaffirmation of the Indus Valley Water Treaty’s ethos and principles. Students in Pakistan can gain immensely by various educational institutes especially in IT, medicine and engineering with cross border students exchange programs. The Muslim minority in India and the Hindus in Pakistan have been victimized and suffered many atrocities at the hands of the majority community much of this hostility, hatred, and poison stems from the failure to enact a peace and reconciliation process between India and Pakistan after the partition.
Peace can set us on a journey to heal sectarian tensions and quash hatred. Leaders in both countries must realize the dividends and benefits that peace can provide. The great value and importance of peace just cannot be measured in money terms. The 78th anniversary of independence should be an occasion for leaders in India and Pakistan to start combating poverty, illiteracy, hunger and religious extremism.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
