To make sense of the present state of tumult between India and Pakistan, it’s better to understand the scenario as-is.
First, Pakistan has inter alia 3 significant actors, the lines among which blur more often than not – State, Non State, Deep State(State within a State)..
Deep State of Pakistan, basically the Pakistani army and the ISI, has been inimical towards India and this is irrespective of culture, trade, riparian, people-to-people ties. They have held this position since the days of partition and their first reverses in Kashmir. The impunity of the Deep State stems from the fact that ‘other states have a military, but in Pakistan, military has a state’.
After losing one war after another, they’ve realized conventional war is out of the question, therefore, proxy war has become their modus operandi and for which they’ve home-grown terror camps where the non-state actors are bred. It is not for India to hope in vain that Pakistan will mend its ways, but to defend ourselves better, have laser-fencing in the borders, to make cross-border terrorism a costly affair for Pakistan.
Second, employing Pak actors or other professionals is purely transactional in nature. It is not a confidence-building measure between the 2 countries, nor does it bring any transformational change in relations as has been evident over the years. The sentiment of neighborly bonhomie is all well and good but it is not Pakistani people we are at war with, notwithstanding the acrimonious social media exchanges, it’s the notorious Deep State which is at a self-declared war in perpetuity with India. We didn’t ask for it, but we’re bound to live with it.
For what it’s worth, the people of Pakistan aren’t inherently antagonistic towards India. But one wonders if they condemn the state machinery and its complicity in propagating terrorism. Or, if they are allowed to/safe to express a contrarian view. The State of Pakistan which consists of the President, PM, judiciary, bureaucracy ultimately toes the line of the Deep State. Of the 70 years of independence, Pakistan has been ruled by the military directly for 33 years and indirectly for the rest. So, this is not about some Track II or III diplomacy that’ll magically improve ties. It has all been tried before qua ‘Aman ki Asha’. And yet we keep falling back in the same loop. We are not here to go round and round but to find tangible solutions to the exact problem.
Third, boycotting of movies based on whatever emotive issue is a fundamental right of the people of the country. The choice has to be theirs. Even if Cinema Owners’ Association chooses to boycott a film, it is their democratic right. But the political parties which claim to represent the people and their sentiments and yet cause nothing but disruption are part of the problem. They resort to bullying tactics for their political ends. There is no ‘patriotism meter’ that you can apply to test anybody. The threshold is rather low if patriotism is defined by how non-Pakistani the end-product is. It is simply roguish. It was good to see the Armed Forces rebuke the political parties claiming to wage this ‘cultural war’ on their behalf.
Fourth, if there has to be a moratorium on all ties with Pakistan, it is for the Government of India to take a call on after broad consultations. Such a thing is not without precedent. Russia still faces sanctions by the Western countries for its misadventure in Ukraine. Already SAARC Summit has been boycotted by most of the member nations and more or less Pakistan finds itself isolated and marginalized in South Asia, if not the entire world save for China. In the short-term, it doesn’t seem to bear much fruit. But if at all, there are long-term sanctions on Pakistan and continuous multilateral pressure to combat terrorism, we may see some action on that front.
It is anyone’s guess as to where the ties with Pakistan are headed. But in the current scenario of deep mistrust, it’d be well-advised to isolate Pakistan prospectively and not retrospectively. At the same time, we must understand that India is a much larger country to be bogged down by one pestilent neighbor. So it’s time to dust ourselves off.
astronomick 