Well, Pakistan seems to be the hot and latest issue doing the rounds these days due to the soon to start talks between Pakistan and India. So I decided to write a review on Pakistan. As we all know Pakistan was a result of the partition of India in the year of 1947. If the Indians and the Pakistanis had the will and commitment to live with harmony, both of the countries would have been among the greatest countries in the world… instead they decided to waste their time and money in mindless wars but that is an altogether different matter.
Pakistan is a Muslim majority country and currently ruled by General..Oops sorry President Musharraf. This country like every other country has its pros and cons… Being an optimist…let me start with the pros
1) Military Power – Compared to its size, Pakistan is quite powerful but not in the region of USA or China or even India in that matter. But mind you, they are a nuclear power.
2) Patriotism – This sometimes edge on fanaticism but nevertheless patriotism is always a plus in any country and Pakistan really leads in that department.
3) People – Believe me, it’s only a handful of people who spoil the image of a country. I had a friend who recently visited Pakistan and he said that the people there were really good and nice. Indians and Pakistanis outside their countries feel a brotherhood among themselves due to the common culture. Ask the Indians and Pakistanis living in UK. I read somewhere that when a Pakistani came to Delhi he felt that he was in Karachi!
Then let us see the negative aspects of this country.
1) Economy- Their economy is in shambles. The Pakistani rupee is in doldrums and they have only themselves to blame. The major reasons for this are excessive military spending (which may be attributed to the arms race), Sanctions due to the nuclear blast and Sanctions due to the Military siege.
2) Support to Terrorism – Musharraf’s agreement to talk with the Hurriyat (a terrorist group) is a sign that it supports terrorists. This should be stopped and I guess their support to such groups is also affecting international relations.
3) Democracy – This is so fickle in Pakistan. We all know about this and there is no need to write much about this matter. Democracy has become a joke in Pakistan and sadly nothing much is being done about it.
Whatever be the case… I think that India and Pakistan should forget their differences and work out the problems. They better do that or it might be WW III time and before you can say “NUCLEAR BOMB” .. The world will be gone and lets hope it doesn’t come to that. India and Pakistan should become peaceful neighbors as it is good for them and their economy and lets hope that the forthcoming talks do just that!