Monday, May 03, 2010

‘Erase the line that divides us’

On a trip to karachi, jaswant singh advocates the formation of a south asian union in order to keep the threat of colonialism at bay. A report by Shahid husain

The people of the subcontinent are likely to face the scourge of colonial rule again if they do not unite and form a South Asian union, former Indian foreign minister and author of "Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence", Jaswant Singh, said on April 13 during a press conference at the historic Mohatta Palace in Karachi.

"I wish I could tell you in terms of time when this union will be established, but the people of Pakistan and India definitely have to share their sorrow and happiness together," he said. "I fear that the failure to form a South Asian union may result in a new form of colonial rule in this part of the world. The United States is today's colonial power and we should understand it. We should be aware of its selfish tactics."

He feared that the new powers would rob the people of the subcontinent of their independence. "I often tell my American friends that they live at a distance of 8,500 miles from Afghanistan, while we live only eight and a half minutes away. I ask them if it was possible that the water of Atlantic Ocean could come to the Himalayas," he said, adding that while the US was talking about nuclear security, one must remember that the nuclear bomb was used twice and it was the US that used it both the times.

He was asked if the marriage of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik would establish peace in the subcontinent. Singh said tens of thousands of inter-marriages have taken place between the people of Sindh and Rajasthan. We need to work to have a situation similar to the one that existed prior to the 1965 war, he said. After the 1965 War, a Berlin Wall was erected between India and Pakistan; it needs to be demolished as soon as possible.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-