Reconciliation: Need of the times

This century at the close of its first quarter has brought more unpredictability than expected. The reason is that first time the hard ware and the macro realms have been replaced by the soft ware and the micro chips.

The public spaces and voices are immaterial to power, for transformational politics is in discourse not in reality. The world is controlled by unbridled structures. It is beyond human predictability of time and space.

A tiny space is needed and a little time required for changing multitudes at a scale.
First time, China is emerging on the scene after centuries of its humiliations, countering American hegemony. It is coming with civilizational vigor, a blend of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in the cover of communism.

In this adventure, China has strong embrace with Russia and sway over one hundred forty countries through OROB connectivity. Its hegemonic wings over Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, besides direct dictate to Maldives have made US notionally downscaled and left India worried. It is making amazing innovations from imitations of the west in its technological advancements to war arsenals.

Europe has recognized its power of cybernetics and artificial intelligence.
Pakistan has come out from its most controversial elections with divided judiciary, weak government and uncertain establishment to frame its policies. While Chinese President and Russian Putin are in full control, Ukraine is under cloud and NATO has lost its teeth.

The polish Prime Minster Tusk’s comments, ‘we are living in the most critical moment since the end of the Second World War’ are not hearsay, but augurs arrival of new era of fragile peace. China is in touch directly with Afghanistan and with Iran. The role that China in yesteryears had envisaged for Pakistan. It is now in measured sense reviewing it. Its trade with Iran and Afghanistan has increased. Its strategic partnership with Pakistan is intact.

However, China's trust deficit with Pakistan is on increase. It seems the work at Gwadar port has been stopped; about nine hundred Chinese engineers have left back. Gwadar is a port city in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, near the Iranian border. It falls under Chinese CPEC project, which is its terminal point that would not only connect Chinese Uyghur region, but also would boost trade through access to Middle Eastern oil.

China perceives it an infallible mechanism for its internal security, external trade and for realizing its long cherished dream of becoming the unmatched super power in the world.

This is the embrace between Pakistan and China. Essentially it is a strategic partnership, against its religious foundations and its cultural past of anti communism. Therefore, its projects in Pakistan remain vulnerable targets. America knows this deep fault line between Pakistan and China. The recent letter from President Biden to Prime Minister Pakistan is seen in this context, as a new beginning in the sour relations between America and Pakistan.

It seems in ensuing times trade with India should not face much criticism, as did in the recent past. Mr. Ishaq Dar, a close relative of Nawaz Sharif has been appointed as a foreign minister, particularly for perusing economic diplomacy. Political diplomacy is only to safeguard the economic interests. America also needs Pakistan for curbing religious militancy, so that it is not used against the West.
India and America are amidst elections. America wants Pakistan to build its relations with India. It seems the ensuing governments would be more realistic than ecstatic. There is a section of television intellectuals on both sides who are engrossed in Indo-Pak animosity debates to hype public perceptions.

There is no other alternative to working for the stability and peace in the region. Breaking and making of new alliances in the global south might seem interesting, but in the larger interest the geographical boundaries matter more than distant proximities. We have witnessed its worthlessness when it means exclusion of China and Russia in the regional understanding. Regional stability and internal peace are crucial for our better future.

In an interview in September 1946, when Pakistan’s formation was on cards, Nehru, as vice president of the interim government had made a prophesy,. He had declared that ‘the world would see the emergence of four powers, US, Russia (then), China and India. Others will only be cultural analogues entities’.

His understanding was on his sense of history. Arabs and Turks as civilizations had ebbed, western civilization after world war two was receding and he had seen emergence of Asian civilizations along with two superpowers, which were already at its niche. Even that saintly strong Prime Minister Lal Bhdur Shastri to a Pakistani journalist’s question long back in 1964 spoke that ‘Pakistani animosity will meltdown, but it would be China that would give irritants to India’.

China’s intellectual class never undermines India’s civilizational strength in its plural blending. Hindu rulers did not have conversion policy. A strong blended formation never lost its core cultural indigents, even if there were conversions in Muslim rule. The reformations paved way for social gluing capacities in retention and acceptance of traditions of different civilizations.

Prime Minister Modi’s empowerment and acceptance at conscious level is not because stands on Hinduvta plank, but it is his ownership of the people, whom elites of the power had ignored. It is presumed, whosoever wins next elections shall bear in mind that India’s future is in ownership of responsibilities more than claiming of rights.

Reconciliation for peace and prosperity, while respecting diversities, would strengthen our pluralism, which the world has recognized. Let this message go beyond borders. This is the answer to the hiccups given by monolith China marching on its worldly ideology and market premises.

We need regional peace and prosperity to solve the ills of our people. We are not against China to realize its dream of becoming world’s super power. But, China has to understand that our prosperity and stability are equally important.

Ashok Kaul, Retired Emeritus Professor in Sociology at Banaras Hindu University