India is on the world focus. This time the elections results of the world biggest democracy has surprised the western players and proved to be a setback to Washington’s long term strategy in Asia, which aimed at to steal eastern culture, traditions and values through local westernized puppets. The May 2014 elections witnessed the victory of Baharat by electing Mr. Narendra Modi; someone who wants to bury the past and take everyone on board in nation building process. Washington has been forced by the popular verdict of Indian masses to give due respect to someone West has had been dubbing as extremist, Hindu fundamentalist and promoter of genocide of Muslim community of India. Ironically, despite Western propaganda against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially Mr. Modi, a great majority of Indian Muslims voted for Mr. Modi. Nevertheless, the western players have accelerated their campaign to prove Mr. Modi as ill-tolerant and enemy of minority communities in India. In the same regard, the US Cyber Command and its replica linkage in India has started inflicting dents on BJP’s reputation by levelling strange allegations including BJP’s coercive methods to put tab on freedom to media.
The current scenario is quite interesting as organizations like India Human Rights Watch, in its report for the year 2002 and later issue, directly implicated state officials including Mr. Modi in violence against Muslims. The United States Department of State also decided to put a ban on Mr. Modi’s entry into the United States in 2005 and this ban has been in place even today. The United States Department of State revoked Mr. Modi’s tourist/diplomatic/business visa, citing section 212 (a) (2) (g) in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as a result of violation of International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). In this regard, David C. Mulford, United States’ Ambassador to India declined permission to Mr. Modi to travel to the United States to attend conference sponsored by the Asian American Hotel Owner’s Association. Washington is much perturbed and is likely to issue a waiver, violating Act of 1998 on the pretext of hidden US interest. One thing is quite evident that unless Washington bow to her knees, New Delhi is not likely to consider further orders of “Made in USA”.
In the latest but much expected development, Mr. Modi has extended a hand of friendship towards Pakistan by inviting Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Main Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at swearing in ceremony at New Delhi. Islamabad while appreciating Indian positive gesture has welcomed Indian hospitality, which is likely to result in long term friendly relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect of each other territorial integrity and sovereignty. Although there are many critics in Pakistan and India who see the subject visit with apprehensions and question marks but Pakistani ruling leadership is quite clear that this time the visit would not be allowed to be sabotaged by vested interest groups. It is only the time, which will determine, if both the Pakistani and Indian leaderships would be able to reach to a bilateral breakthrough or as usual fifth columnist and enemy agents in these countries would be able to sabotage the peace efforts. Those who are critical to the meeting should bear in mind that neither India nor Pakistan are going to interfere in each others’ internal affair or impose their ideologies on one other.
Islamabad has a lot of expectations from New Delhi, especially from Mr. Modi and Mr. L. K. Advani to make the two neighbours friends as evasive by Mr. M. K. Ghandhi, the Mathama and Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-e-Azam after partition on 15 August 1947. One wonders when at the end of the day, the two nations have to resort to dialogue and talks, why these are discontinued on mere activities of miscreants. It is a high time that leadership of Pakistan and India should stop exploiting their nationals by chanting provocative sentimental slogans against each other for self interests and political recognition. The bottom line in Pak-India relations needs to be set that while ignoring all disruption and criticism by certain interest groups in each country, olive branches by Mr. Modi and Mr. Nawaz Sharif should not be let loose.
Although, this visit is just a reminder of determination from both the nations to express their desire to come near and dear to each other but it is also a ray of hope for future resolutions of all the irritants including right of self determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir state as well as issue of terrorism in both the countries. It is hoped that ultimately, in the long term, Pakistan and India would reach a defence agreement leading to joint defence of Indian Ocean as also proposed by Quaid-e-Azam to Indian leadership in 1947.