 If former information minister Mushahid Hussain is to be believed, the days of India bashing in Pakistan are over. Instead, there is a near universal consensus on securing lasting peace with India. "There is no constituency in Pakistan, political or otherwise, which is pushing for a confrontation with India," Mushahid, secretary general of Pakistan Muslim League (PML), said in an interview here.
| Dead! Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, and Qazi — all dead!... Oh. They're not? |
Mushahid, as he is popularly known, was here as part of a PML delegation - the first from a Pakistani ruling party to visit India.
| Is there a reason he's a former information minister? |
Former prime minister Shujat Hussain led the team. Alluding to the seemingly unstoppable tide of people-to-people contacts between India and Pakistan, Mushahid, who at age 29 became the youngest editor of The Muslim newspaper, spoke eloquently about a generational change towards India. He is also chairman of the foreign relations committee of Pakistan's Senate. "There is a huge difference in the atmospherics for peace. There is a radical change in the mindsets of not only the people but also the leaderships of both countries. Peace dividend is already paying off. The new rapport is evident in all spheres, be it culture, commerce and cricket. The momentum is simply unstoppable," he stressed.
| "Unless you want to take a bus from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar, of course..." |
Pitching for "bold and radical solutions" to issues still dividing the two South Asian neighbours, he said: "We need visionary politicians who can take bold and unpopular decisions, if the need be."
| "We're thinking of leasing some. Know any good candidates?" |
Ahead of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's visit to India April 16, Mushahid gave a strong hint that the trip might acquire a summit-like complexion where all issues, including Kashmir, could be discussed. "Musharraf took a bold step when he announced last year Pakistan's readiness to move beyond UN resolutions," he said, and cited it as an example of "out-of-box thinking" on Kashmir. "He is serious about solving the Kashmir problem. His initiative has given Kashmiris a voice."
| Does that mean he's going to dissolve Lashkar e-Taiba? Or will he continue talking sweetness and light while the Bad Boyz continue tossing grenades toward all and sundry in Kashmir? |
More praise for Musharraf follows. "We have a president in uniform, but he is a democrat at heart. There is more freedom in Pakistan under the rule of Musharraf. We are the freest country in the Islamic world.
| "... which really isn't saying that much." |
"There are no more holy cows in Pakistan. People are free to criticise, say what they want, make fun of people in power."
| "And the people in power are free to kill them. It's a state of total freedom, like you've never seen!" |
Alluding to the US decision to sell F-16s to Pakistan, Mushahid allays apprehensions that this is yet another sign of American "favouritism" towards Islamabad. "The US needs both India and Pakistan. It's no longer a question of playing one against the other. This is why we need to shed this obsession with America and concentrate on real problems like poverty and unemployment facing both countries.
"Mukkerjee! Eat your chapatis! Think of the starving children in Pakistan!"
"Awww, Mom! They can have mine if they're that hungry! I'm full!" |
"Internal threats are more real. Like India, Pakistan is trying to come to grip with the forces of sectarianism and extremist ideology, including those having links with Al Qaeda."
| "Unlike India, we're slowly losing control of all of our territory as holy men and warlords hold contests to see who can chew off the biggest pieces for their personal fiefdoms." |
A strong proponent of nuclear deterrence, he firmly believes that the possession of nuclear facility has bolstered national self-confidence and has created what he calls "the balance of power" in South Asia. "I am convinced that nuclear deterrence is effective. It precludes the possibility of a war between the two countries."
| "... even though we've been on the razor's edge of it at least twice in the past three years." |
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