Neighborly Relations
How does one say "India should be more generous" and also say "I can't change anti-India sentiments", both in the same breath? Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina's statement, in a most I-am-helpless-what-can-I-do manner, puzzles me. She also implied that the anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has been festering since the 1950s. The soundbite is here.
Lunch-hour conversation over Sheikh Hasina's stuttered remark brought India's relations with our other (dare I say, angrier) neighbor to the table. Someone mentioned the recently launched The Times of India initiative Aman ki Aasha. Its hogwash, he said. The anti-India sentiment in Pakistan is so deeply embedded that its not going to change for several generations to come.
So, let me get this right. Because you believe that your neighbor hates you from the core of his being, you are never going to do anything about the situation. Never take any initiative, never try to understand, never make overtures or for that matter, war. Just continue to live in status quo? Continue to live in a world of terror attacks and hopelessness?
I dont think I could die in peace if I were to bequeth such a world to my child.
Photo Credit: The pic above is from here.
Comments
On hindsight, we need to mature in our own thought process regarding regional or religion based conflicts within India. If we can have a Mumbai within India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are too far away to influence any positive approach. And we have Sri Lanka and Nepal too. Isn't our foreign policy lacking to make such issues build-up to a level of armed conflicts?