27. Indians, stop obsessing over Pakistan

Source: India Today

This blog is a review of Chetan Bhagat’s article titled “Enough with the Pak obsession. True patriotism isn’t about bashing others” in “The Underage Optimist”, Times of India on October 13, 2019. 

Chetan Bhagat, the renowned Indian author and columnist in his article points out that as Indians, we love to see Pakistan humiliated. This is true. Ever since the partition of 1947, India and Pakistan have shared a relationship that has been plagued by hostility and suspicion. Bhagat points out how the Indian media, especially Hindi news channels love to take jibes at our neighbor. This has resulted in creating problems that are deeper and chronic. When it comes to Pakistan, Indian media is unprofessional, with their constant advocacy for war. Today, anti-Pakistani sentiments are a part of Indian nationalism. In a way, the India-Pakistan conflict is reviving nationalism, and this is not right. 

Is it necessary that nationalism needs to have an ‘other’ or a ‘villain’? For instance, let us look at the case of Jawaharlal Nehru University, the case of nationalists and anti-nationalists In JNU, the slogans of Pakistan Zindabad were allegedly raised, and the students involved were physically and verbally abused by the mob. In other words, anybody not following the set rules for nationalism is being attacked. Slogans that could have been considered as good wishes for our neighbor is leading to the labeling of people as ‘anti-national’, and even terrorists. Is our nationalism only proven when we cling into these anti-Pakistani sentiments? This is a question that demands answers. 

Bhagat writes, “The mindset of ‘we are better than Pakistan’ and seeking constant validation of that needs to stop. It is harming us”. According to the author, there is no need to compare India with Pakistan, because in doing so we equate ourselves to them at some level. Bhagat is bold in asserting these statements. He provides facts to support his claims, in terms of economic (comparing India and Pakistan’s GDP), political (their political structure), demographic ( the extent of secularism in both these countries) and social equality terms. However, these parameters, although true, are not the right measurements. Indeed, I agree with Bhagat when he says that Pakistan is not a threat to India. However, Pakistan is a military threat to Kashmir, and therefore the Indian Union. Surprisingly, there is no mention of Kashmir in Bhagat's article. Has the author forgotten about the Kargil War, the IC-814 Hijack, the Indian Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks? Moreover, the nuclear strategy of Pakistan is another area that Bhagat fails to address. Even if Bhagat is right in pointing out that India is politically and economically more stable than Pakistan, the nuclear strategy, as well as the military threat to Kashmir, should not be ignored. 

Bhagat then writes about why Indians are so obsessed with Pakistan. He talks about four points: 

· First, because Pakistan is a troublemaker at a different level, compared to any other neighbor. I agree,  Pakistan is a nuisance to India, a country that is draining our valuable resources.

· Second, the commonality in our language and culture 

· Third, the partition and the way Pakistan was created 

· Fourth, hating Pakistan is an acceptable surrogate to hating Muslims 

Here, I would like to point out other reasons as to how the minds of people are framed. First and foremost, as Bhagat pointed out, is the Indian news media. The news channels of this age have successfully circulated the idea of Pakistan as being a notorious ‘other’ and 'the villain'. Second, Bollywood. We have multiple examples of hate-filled dialogues against Pakistan in movies, where Pakistan is an envious country that wants to destroy India. Bollywood has reinforced the idea of self (India) and the other (Pakistan). Third, Advertisements, especially those during a cricket match. Well, I don’t need to talk about the atmosphere during an India-Pakistan match. Advertisements that promote hate-speeches reinforce this emotion. 

In his conclusion, Bhagat rightly points out, the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Obsessing with Pakistan is also a form of engagement, which lowers India to their level. It is time we focus on ourselves. The 21st century India is an important international player, and Pakistan should not be a concern. India’s foreign policy, too, has started shifting away from its focus from its neighbor, and it’s high time citizens stop with this obsession too. Changing attitudes about Pakistan is not going to be easy, but it is also not impossible.