The Economist: Why India and Pakistan hate each other
Three score and ten years after their acrimonious split, India and Pakistan remain at daggers drawn. Max Rodenbeck asks if they can ever make up
EVERY AFTERNOON AT sunset, at a point midway along the arrow-straight road between Amritsar and Lahore, rival squads of splendidly uniformed soldiers strut and stomp a 17th-century British military drill known as Beating Retreat (pictured). Barked commands, fierce glares and preposterously high kicks all signal violent intent. But then, lovingly and in unison, the enemies lower their national flags. Opposing guardsmen curtly shake hands, and the border gates roll shut for the night.
As India and Pakistan celebrate their twin 70th birthdays this August, the frontier post of Wagah reflects the profound dysfunction in their relations. On its side Pakistan has built a multi-tiered amphitheatre for the boisterous crowds that come to watch the show. The Indians, no less rowdy, have gone one better with a half-stadium for 15,000. But the number of travellers who actually cross the border here rarely exceeds a few hundred a week.
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WNU Editor: After reading the article .... I still have trouble understanding why they hate each other. Was it because of how the 1947 partition of the subcontinent was done .... I doubt it. There is something more involved, and the religious differences between the two countries has made it far worse (unless that is the reason why they hate each other).
10 comments:
I think you are spon on with the religious differences. I live in Sweden and underneath the surface there is great animosity betwen the ethnic swedes thate are mostly christians nominally and the Muslim immigrants.
The Muslim Conquest of the Indian subcontinent, which lasted for hundreds of years, explains it all.
Most of the Muslims left India.
There are still many in India.
As an Indian classmate told me "Muslims are ruining the country."
IMO Muslims ruin a lot (pick any country) countries.
This is a lot deeper than Muslim and Hindu. Those two countries both are in dire need of fresh water, to the point where there are major health and economic damage happening right now in both countries. From Kashmir flows fresh glacier water, both populations are so large that they cannot share it. There is no solution where Kashmir remains split, it's all or nothing on both sides.
Plus both sides have powerful agencies that have a mandate to make sure either country doesn't out shine the other. Pakistans is just much of a democracy as India is, both are a disgrace to democracy. These shadow groups run both side. In Pakistan mostly its the ISI, military and in India its Brahmins and Banias. Just as much as it's easy to say it's a Muslim problem, it's not. India I think is top 5 in the world for overall Muslim population. To be honest if it is a religion problem than it's the Hindu elite. Christianity is one of the most prosecuted religions in India. The constitution is written not to recognize smaller religions, cultures and languages but to blanket them all under Hinduism. The Hindu caste system is in effect in India and supported by the upper classes. It truely is the the Religion is the Opium of the poor. There are more people living below the poverty line in India, one country, than all of continental Africa. That is the Hindu caste system.
I hope a lower caste Modi can break the mold but right now he is just giving fake empowerment to the lower castes and not challenging the elites and their corrupt empires. Saying all that Islamabad has nothing to lose, when it comes to nukes they will be the first to launch and the water is almost dry...
What ever it is, the situation is way out of hand right now. If there is another major incident between the two countries, retaliation will be out of proportion and a line will be crossed. Islamabad is losing influence and financial support from Washington and they are becoming more entrenched with Beijing. We all see what Beijing is doing with NK and pakistan is no NK. Also India is a trading partner with NK and has no beef with them but Beijing and Islamabad have a lot in common in how they want to contain their neighbour India.
India used to have a strong ally in Moscow but since M.Singh signed the nuclear deal with America, the relationship has steadily deminished. So if China and Pakistan want to squeeze India, the one regional country that could talk sense to the Chinese might not care too. I don't think the BRICS economic alliance and Modi visits to Moscow are that significant, especially since India is buying more and more non Russian arms. Basically India only ally in this theatre is the Americans and I don't see a strong enough bond between the two. To be honestly I don't think India has a strong intangible bond with any major powerful country and in today's world you need those types of friends.
The left the left the left ....would be well were it not for the left
Tiresome refrain
Fred,
Was that a serious statement by you or was that an attempt at comedy?
Bill Maher blasts liberals for defending Islam: Muslims sharing Western values is ‘bull****’
Are the Hard Leftists Aligned with Radical Islamists?
Why Leftists Ally with Islamists | Walid Shoebat
Why do Leftists/Liberals support Muslims and not Christians?
Radical Islam's Alliance with the Socialist Left ...
Why are the Hard U.S. Leftists Aligned with Radical Islamists ?
- savemysweden.com
Beware! This last story has a picture of Gloria Steinem.
Fred, Maybe you can intersperse a picture of Gloria's mug with all your other 'pictures.'
Are the Hard Leftists Aligned with Radical Islamists? - Germany
A hard leftist uses viagra
That must account for the bulk of the Pentagon spending on Viagra.
You did not address the Leftist Muslim axis.
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