Former Indian minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who also served 26 years of his life in the Indian foreign services, has said that Pakistan is not a failing or failed state, and there remains a huge constituency for friendship which we need to work with, as opposed to responding to the constituency of hatred.
“Pakistan is an irremovable geographical fact. Pakistan is also an irreversible historical fact,” he said while addressing ultimate celebrity conference in Goa where politicians, intellectuals, authors, business tycoons, actors and others have gathered at the Grand Hyatt as part of the three-day Thinkfest conclave.
Co-organised by Tehelka and Newsweek, this haute version brings together an eclectic and intriguing range of A-list names, from Nobel peace prize winning Leymah Gbowee to Omar Abdullah to Pervez Hoodbhoy to Siddharth Muherjee to Arvind Kejriwal.
Scientist, essayist and political-defence analyst Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, who heads the Physics Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University, said Pakistan was in deep trouble, as this country was losing its South Asian roots. “We have to accept in Pakistan that the two-nation theory has run its course. Moving forward, our idea of the nation has to be more inclusive,” he said.
Hoodbhoy said that the isolation of Pakistanis and Indians strengthen the constituencies of hate. Aiyar outlined following steps that include return to the Musharraf-Manmohan proposal to create a borderless Kashmir — where the Line of Control is rendered irrelevant – as a precursor to a borderless subcontinent.
He said both the nations should agree to maintain uninterrupted and uninterruptable dialogue that will remain unbroken and regular, irrespective of attacks or any other calamity. They should introduce a visa regime similar to Nepal and remove all restrictions of pilgrimages.
Another remedy is to ensure a full and free media exchange, including TV channels and newspapers and not limited to movies. An open investment regime without any barriers to trade, standing together on the international stage to push for the expansion of the UN Security Council and launch a joint initiative for global nuclear disarmament.
Sounds unrealistic, but Aiyar is quick to remind the gathering that the current European Union would have sounded as impossible a hundred years ago. “Much like the French and Germans who fought and killed each other for centuries, we too can live together in South Asian Union,” he suggested.
Its a nice idea….Mani Shanker is almost unparallel in his reasoning….a great public speaker and mastermind…
Old wine in new bottle
yes good idea or dream you can say what about anti Pakistan, anti Bangladesh, anti Sri Lanka elements sitting deep in Indian establishment. Would Indian would respect its smaller neighbours. They is inferiority complex among Indians that they would be world power and play with the Asian region as there chessboard. And its promoted by Indian media and print media. Indians cant be never like Germany or France in 10000 years.
You have proven once again that you are uneducated and ill-informed idiot whose brain has been rendered useless by stupid combination of religion and stupid nationalism. None of India’s neigbhours feel threatned. Pakistan’s own meanspiritedness and terrorism campaign is making it a criminal and a criminal is always afraid of punishment. India will get a role prpotionate to its size and potential.why are u so concerned and jealeous. Just return the PoK and stop terrorism you will not feel threatened by India.
Who let you out of slum.
Entire Pakistan is a slum buddy It is a failed state thriving on terrorism and surviving on foreirn aid. One indian rupee can buy 2 Pakistani rupees. And Reliance alone can buy all stocks listed on Karachi stock exchange.Indian economy is over $1.5 trillion today what is your worth ? Zero.
Mani Shankar Aiyar is a bafoon thats why he is not a minister anymore youcan keep him.
really nice idea…
sarah r u here or nooooooo
Absolutely not. Any South Asian Union is bound to fail because it would take away the financial sovereignty of these countries. Anybody who has seen the European Union's inability to manage the Greek and Italian debt crisis would say NEVER create a South Asian Union. Indians would hate to have to bail out Pakistan or Bangladesh if those countries racked up high levels of debt.
When one poor country joins another poor country, there is synergy of poverty.
point…
There is poverty in but india is not a poor country .
Why can't Pakistan and India + other south asian nations unite like the Countries in EU have done. the Ex World War Rivals are now allies in everything.
All this divide and conflict is engineered by the west, right from the start by leaving the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan and India should be strategic partners and spend all the defense budget on the welfare of the people.
the possibilities of what we can achieve together are limitless
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