The foolish ways of fowls

We wonder how police in Indian Punjab are getting on with their interrogation of a pigeon that was detained after it was spotted perching on a mud house in a village located about four kilometres from the long border shared with Pakistan. Presumably the usual tactics, involving sticks, palms and fists, commonly used by police on both sides of that frontier will not work with this bird, now locked in a cage at a police station on suspicion of spying.
The suspicions arose because of writing in Urdu script, numerals and a wire around the bird’s neck spotted by diligent villagers. Initial investigations, involving X-Rays and experts able to read Urdu have revealed nothing of note. But this does not seem to have deterred the Indian Punjab police from continuing with their investigation.
The entire business has made headlines around the world and painted the India-Pakistan situation in its true colours. Essentially, it is ludicrous. There is too much that is nonsensical about it and the current round of hysteria we are witnessing in both countries, with angry statements pouring forth, has done nothing to help. Most notably, India and its hard-line BJP government are to blame. There can be little doubt that the tone set by New Delhi has affected the attitude of ordinary people such as the village boys who rushed to the police on spotting a pigeon with blurred writing on its wings.
The reality is that we need to be more realistic and more pragmatic. India and Pakistan, simply because of their geographic location and the history that created it, have no choice but to live together. Unlike disgruntled neighbours living in townhouses or other residences, they cannot simply pick up their belongings and walk away to some other corner of the globe. They are then less free than that pigeon which flew across a border it did not recognise as being there at all.
This lack of freedom means the two nations must coexist. They must learn how to do so. The statements by the Indian defence ninister about using terrorists against other terrorists obviously simply stir up the worst fears and back the accusations coming from Pakistan of RAW involvement in the various acts of terrorism that take place on a regular basis in the country. If we go beyond the idea of doves and hawks, the fact is that it is perfectly possible India would be involved in undesirable activities within Pakistan. The same would hold true the other way round and this has been the case for years.
The question is: how do we begin to amend matters? How do we create a situation where a pigeon does not create quite so much of a flutter? The first requirement of course is political commitment. How this can come about is something that has to be discovered especially given the ideology that currently prevails in India. But there has to be a realisation there is no choice.
New Delhi must recognise that its own stability is based upon that of Pakistan’s and also on a settlement of the unfinished business of Partition. There are too many loose ends that still hang about. Kashmir is of course the biggest one, but even if it would make little sense to tackle this immediately an agreement of some kind on the territory needs to be worked out – along the lines of what has been proposed in the past. These proposals are certainly worth studying but the possibility of doing so can arise only if both governments accept the rights of Kashmiris must be put before all else.
Till then, that much used phrase, ‘confidence-building measures’, plays some part in what should happen. Certainly, right now there is a desperate need to expand these measures by permitting greater contact between people and enabling access to each others’ countries. Visa restrictions have to be softened, student exchanges encouraged and other means to promote contact expanded.
It is also true that Pakistan must accept it is a part of South Asia. The curious attempts we have made to create a new identity for ourselves are nearly as ridiculous as the tale of the unfortunate pigeon. We have tried to shift ourselves to the Middle East, deliberately altering the words we use to add an Arabic twist to them. The results are not encouraging. By doing so, we gain little and risk losing what we have in terms of our own identity. This could be a dangerous game to play. In fact, for the sake of all our people, we need to cling on to the identity we have lost by disregarding our heritage and culture. The fact that we have done so is one of the reasons we are in a state of so much confusion today.
Identity is a key issue for any nation. The blurring of ours has resulted in all kinds of ethnic strains cropping up as people attempt to create narrower and narrower identities based on language and similar factors. The situation we see in Balochistan, and also in Karachi, is just one outcome of this.
We also combat extremism in many forms. One way of doing so is through guns. Yes, in our tribal areas an operation against the Taliban was very possibly needed. But we need to move beyond bullets and bombs. Looking towards the region we live in as a whole is one way to find a route to peace. We must accept a broader identity for ourselves and rediscover the tolerance which once marked our region. The attempt to quash the voice of Sufi scholars and others who promote peace is a dangerous trend. It must be battled and one way of doing this is to build stronger links with our neighbour to the east.
Like the pigeon which flew across the frontier at will, we should all as individuals be able to cross the border that was created only six and a half decades ago. This is really, in historical terms, not a very long time at all. The degree of hatred the creation of this border built is frightening. We must find a way to eradicate it. Peace is essential for both our economic growth and our political and social stability. We urgently require both. So of course does India.
While it may project itself as ‘Shining India’ the country, which could emerge as one of the biggest powers of the world over the coming decade or so, is beset with a multitude of problems. It needs to find a way to resolve these for the sake of its people. The principle both governments need to follow should indeed be based on these people. They must be put first of all on top of the pyramid and all decisions taken on guarding their interests and their wellbeing all along the way.
The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.
Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com