Rebuttal to Mr.Ejaz Haider.

This blog is a reply to the article published by Express Tribune news paper from Pakistan. The article had the following address   http://tribune.com.pk/story/219335/india-is-the-revisionist-power/. Therefore this post should be read in the light of the above mentioned article.

Mr.Ejaz Haider, this concluding part of your rebuttal of Shashi Tharoor’s article, seems straight out of the anti India manual of the Pakistan army since you seem to have toed their version hook, line and sinker. Shashi Tharoor surely has set the proverbial cat among the “GHQ’s Pigeons”. This article should have been more suitably titled “Right from the Generals mouth” Before anyone lynches me for my transgression; I will point out why I think so.

Firstly, Mr.Ejaz opines that Indians are very good at hiding their underbelly and project a goody picture of their country abroad. Sir, could you tell any country which doesn’t do that? How many times have the Americans, Europeans and even your good friend Chinese have come to Pakistan and projected their own under belly? You are lamenting the fact that Pakistanis don’t project a positive image of their country abroad. But seriously, since almost all of Pakistan is now a huge “Under Belly”, what positive can Pakistanis project to the world? First enlighten your own citizens about the virtues of being a Pakistani and then only they can project any thing positive abroad.

Secondly, you are accusing India of not agreeing to “Force Rationalization” by citing the Chinese threat. Respectfully Sir, We Indians have been humbled by the Chinese in 1962 and we still have Chinese claiming our state of Arunachal Pradesh, besides having deployed nuclear tipped missiles in Tibet, directed against India. Is China then not a threat to us? Could we ever forget the nuclear and missile proliferation which the Chinese undertook to help you make the nuclear weapons and delivery systems? Was that an act of Chinese friendship towards India? India is seriously looking at a possible two front war in future and our military has to maintain a minimum deterrence vis a vis China.

Thirdly, you are stating that 1947 was an indigenous uprising. This is sheer ISI propaganda. Kashmir was an independent state from August to October 1947 till Pakistani intruders and army regulars forcibly tried to capture it. Indian troops had no presence in Kashmir till the Maharaja came to us for help. Rest as they say is history and I need not elaborate further for want of space. India is seriously trying to check the human rights violations in Kashmir but Mr.Haider would you please enlighten us as to what role the “Shining Stars” from your “Jihadi Galaxy”, have played in the violence in Kashmir?

Fourthly, you are admitting that 1965 war was a mistake on Pakistan’s part but ironically you also justifying the Pakistani action since it was to reclaim your own territory. Please make up your mind Sir and then only a rebuttal would be effective from my side. You have totally failed to mention, which most Pakistanis would be unaware of regarding the territory holdings of both the sides after the cease fire. India gained 1,840 square kilometers of Pakistani territory: 640 square kilometers in so called Azad Kashmir, 460 square kilometers of the Sialkot sector; 380 square kilometers far to the south of Sindh; and most critical, 360 square kilometers on the Lahore front. Pakistan took 540 square kilometers of Indian territory: 490 square kilometers in the Chhamb sector and 50 square kilometers around Khem Karan. Pakistanis can verify these figures and rationally think as to who had better territory holdings post the war.

Fifthly, you are saying that India attacked Pakistan in 1971 and true to the official version of the Pakistan army; you have totally ignored the circumstances leading to the war. In short, Bengalis were tormented, India had a problem of lakhs of refugees, Mrs.Gandhi visiting every power in the world requesting to rein in the delinquent Pakistani army and left with no option India had to step in. If the world powers had intervened, like they did against Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Col.Gaddafi in Libya, perhaps Bangladesh would still have been a part of Pakistan. As far as Siachen is concerned, it was a vaguely demarcated area and if Indians had not captured it, Pakistanis would have been occupying it.

Lastly, you are accusing India of being a revisionist power and that Pakistan is checking India’s hegemonic designs in South Asia. This is a statement without backed by any evidence. Shashi Tharoor very rightly said that as to what Pakistan actually has that India would like to possess? If India had any revisionist and hegemonic designs it would surely have annexed East Pakistan in to that mythical “Akhand Bharat”. Mr.Haider should better realize that in trying to counter India’s so called hegemonic designs, Pakistan has become a failed state sustaining a large military disproportionate to its economic strengths. If this scenario continues, instead of becoming a West Bangladesh, Pakistan would surely become West Punjab, West Sindhu Desh, West Baluchistan and a West KP, all independent entities.